Contingency
by xenascully
Summary: An unforeseeable accident changes the life of one Special Agent, and thus his team. And one Agent's secrets are revealed... Story includes the entire team, not just the listed characters.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I'm gonna go ahead and warn how much of a bastard I am. **

**Disclaimer: NCIS doesn't belong to me. **

**.**

**Contingency **

Blue January skies made the downtown search for witnesses in the most recent ongoing investigation by the MCRT at NCIS a little less dreary. Popping something in his back as he stretched, Tony turned to McGee as they made their way up the sidewalk. "Thunder in the Valley," he told his colleague.

McGee furrowed his brows as he looked over at him, "Uh...it doesn't look like rain."

"No, the film, McSilly," he replied. "I think we should watch that one this weekend."

"Is it movie weekend?"

"It is," he happily replied. "Pending a case, of course."

"Never heard of Thunder in the Valley. Or is that the one with the cars and...Tom Cruise? Wait, no, that's Days of Thunder."

"Days of Thunder is good. I've got that. We can totally watch that."

"Well what about-"

"No. Now I'm thinking about the pre-insanity days of Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. Gotta watch that, instead. We'll save the Valley for another day."

"There's our next location," McGee indicated with a nod toward the building across the street.

"Yep. And it looks like we're about to finally meet up in the middle. There's Gibbs and Zee-vah," he glanced a block up the road. "Hey, Boss!" he cheerfully waved. But Gibbs was looking past him, pausing in his steps and holding Ziva back as well. That's when Tony realized there was honking in the distance behind him. And yelling. No...it was screams.

He and McGee turned around to see a tanker trunk coming down the street at a rate that was indicative of it being out of control, as if the brakes were out. The driver was swerving side to side, presumably attempting to slow it down some, to no avail, and honking the horn loud so people would get out of the way.

Tony saw it when Gibbs did; there was a slight embankment just eight hundred feet in front of it, and it was already going at least fifty miles per hour. If he hit it, it would flip.

"Everybody get inside the buildings!" Tony shouted. "Get somewhere safe, now!" he and McGee started leading people from the sidewalks into the shops and other businesses. Gibbs and Ziva were doing the same. There was so much shouting and noise, Tony could barely hear his teammates. But there was a voice he did hear.

"Aaron!" a woman cried out. "Aaron, come on! Come here!" she called, and Tony found her, and followed her gaze to the middle of the street. His eyes widened as he realized how close the truck was.

Knowing his team was safely inside the buildings, Tony bolted out toward the boy.

"Tony!" he heard McGee call after him, but he kept going. The boy, maybe six years old, was staring in awe at the oncoming truck. Tony had never run so fast and so hard, that he could remember, in his life, toward him. He heard the truck hit the embankment; the sick squealing of metal, crunching of the tank hitting the street. And then he had the boy, but he knew it was too late. With all of his strength, he threw Aaron to the other side of the street, watching him land and roll, as Tony fell to the asphalt, himself. The boy was out of harm's way.

Tony expected a hit. He expected the giant tank to roll over and crush him. Instead, he felt something wet. For an fraction of a second, it felt cool. Then hot. And then pain.

Tony heard screaming. It wouldn't stop, and it was starting to hurt his ears. Then he realized...it was him...

**TBC...**

**A/N: Told you. More soon... In all honesty, I'm gonna write tonight depending on how many people seem interested and/or want to kill me if I don't continue very soon. So...depending on that, I could theoretically have another chapter done by tonight. **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: After several death threats, and a good number of freak-outs, I have decided to graciously continue tonight. Lol. Y'all are awesome xD**

Everything had happened so fast. Gibbs had finally gotten everyone into the building the block up from where McGee and Tony had been corralling the people nearest them. Then he heard McGee. He was calling out for Tony, and that's when Gibbs turned and saw the senior field agent running into the street to save a small boy.

He saw how close the truck was, now. He knew that Tony knew, as well. With every fiber of his being, he wanted to go out there and try to do something. But anything short of altering the very laws of physics, there was no way he'd get there in time.

Gibbs found himself holding Ziva back by her arms as she, too, had spotted what was about to happen. She was screaming out to Tony, trying to tear away from Gibbs so that she could go to him. But his grip was tight, and he shouted at her, trying to make her see what she already knew; that there was nothing...

When the truck hit the embankment, he pulled Ziva's screaming form into his chest, holding her head beside his as he hid their faces from the crash. He heard the people in the building with them scream in horror, and then there was silence. Almost deafening.

Then he heard Tony's screams...

McGee stood in horror as the sulfuric acid nuclear waste combination spilled from the broken tanker onto his friend, whose screams tore open Tim's heart as violently as it was burning Tony's flesh. The people in the building with him were horrified and crying. Tim couldn't leave him there. He couldn't let him suffer. Not any longer than he already was...

"Sodium bicarbonate!" he shouted at the people around him as he made he way to the door. "Baking soda! Lots of it!" they were, after all, in a market. "Get it, now!" he yelled as he ran out toward Tony. The acid was still pouring from the truck, but McGee didn't care. He went for Tony, picking his suffering teammate from the street into his arms with a strength he didn't even know he possessed. And that's when the acidic burning started at his own flesh.

Gibbs let go of Ziva and started up the walk, quickly, when he saw McGee go for Tony. He broke into a run as Tim started yelling out in pain as he carried the SFA out of the stream of acid pour. McGee dropped to his knees on the sidewalk, setting Tony down as gently as he was capable of at the moment, and though he was in an immense amount of pain, himself, he was more concerned about his partner.

"T-Tony?" his voice shook. Tony's eyes were open, but looking far away. His body tense and shaking, bloodied and smoking with acidic burns, it hurt Tim just looking at him. His clothes were partially eaten away, and flesh burned through. Tim realized what he needed to be doing, now. He looked up to see the people from the building surrounding them, baking soda boxes filled in their arms. "Pour-pour it on him," he ordered. "It'll n-neutralize th-the acid..."

The people did as they were told, and suddenly there were strong hands on his arms. He looked to see Gibbs crouched down in front of him. The older agent quickly pulled his hands away, realizing the acid was still on Tim's clothes. He grabbed one of the boxes of baking soda and started dousing McGee with it, pulling off the wet clothes. Tim seemed slightly out of it.

"Tim, you hear me?" Gibbs asked for a third time.

"I...I think...Tony's in shock," Tim replied, looking over at the now mercifully unconscious agent. Then he looked back and met Gibbs' eyes. "I'm s-s..."

"You did good, Tim," Gibbs told him. "You saved him."

"But he m-might not...m-m..."

"Don't think like that, okay? We're gonna get you two to Bethesda. Get you patched up. You got that? McGee?" Tim tried to answer, but everything was starting to go dark...

**TBC...**

**A/N: Alright so...I'll try and write more tonight or tomorrow. Wanted to give you just a little more, tonight. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

Abby Sciuto bounced in place with the beat of the loud music playing in her lab, as she typed on her keyboard and watched the screen. She didn't hear Jimmy Palmer when he came in holding samples in small jars.

"Abby!" he shouted. She didn't hear him, and so he yelled again once he was a bit closer, and she looked over. She smiled at him, but his face showed not only no cheeriness, but apprehension and worry. Her smile faded and she picked up her remote to cut off the music.

Once the lab was silent, and he still stood there, she walked up to him with a look of concern. "Jimmy? What's wrong?"

He seemed to be shaken from his wandering thoughts, and met her eyes. "I need you to process these, faster than you've ever processed anything ever," he told her, handing the small jars filled with clearish liquid, with a separated layer of greenish liquid underneath it.

"What is it?" she took the jars and looked at them at eye level. "And what's going on? I thought everyone was out interviewing for witnesses. I didn't realize there were samples to collect."

"The case was handed off," he told her. "There...there was an accident," his eyes became a bit shiny as he spoke.

"Oh god," Abby's body was suddenly tingling with fear. "Who? What happened? Was someone shot? Oh god...is someone...? Oh god, Jimmy, what happened?" she panicked.

Palmer shook his head, "It wasn't case related. At least, it doesn't seem to be. There was a tanker that lost its brakes, lost control and it was downtown. Apparently, they saw it coming and evacuated the street. But there was a kid...Tony went to push him out of harms way, and..."

"Oh my god!" Abby shrieked and it was lucky that Jimmy had prepared to take the jars from her and set them down on the table. "He was hit?"

"No. No he wasn't," he explained. "But the tanker tipped and this...stuff got all over him. He was really badly burned. He might've died, but McGee...he went in and carried him out..."

"Timmy... is he okay?"

"They're both at Bethesda-"

"I have to go-"

"No!" he took her arms and stopped her from rushing out of the room.

"Jimmy! Let go of me! I have to go to them, right now!"

"No, you don't!"

"What's wrong with you? Of course I do! Now let me go, or they won't find your body!"

"Abigail Sciuto!" he shouted and her eyes widened. "You don't think we all wanna be there?" he asked, incredulously. "This stuff," he indicated at the jars, "Is sulfuric acid, mixed with some kind of waste that we have no idea what it is, and neither did the driver. The company seems not to know the exact compound, either, or they're keeping their mouths shut. Now you can go to the hospital and do nothing to help, or you can process these samples and figure out what this stuff is and possibly save the lives of our friends!"

Abby's breathing was heavy with worry and fear, and her eyes were filled with tears, but she knew what she had to do. She turned to the table and put on a pair of gloves, preparing her kit for the samples. "H-how bad, Jimmy?"

"Tim," he decided to start with the less horrible condition. "He's got some minor burns on his chest, stomach and arms. His hands were pretty bad, and his feet...where he ran in through the spill to get Tony, and it filled into his shoes... they're burned as well. But it's not too severe. Gibbs was able to neutralize it before it got worse." He took a breath before moving on to Tony. He watched as Abby filled the small vials with the liquid samples and fit them into the machine. "Tony...he uh... It's pretty bad, Abs. I won't lie to you." She only paused in her process for a moment or two, before continuing. "He's stable. But...it's bad."

Abby closed up the machine and punched a few buttons to start it going. Slowly, she turned to Palmer as she slipped off her gloves and threw them into the trash bin. "You saw him?" she asked, finally.

He shook his head, "I haven't, yet. I took Ducky over to Bethesda and thought I'd be able to see them, but Ziva needed me to bring the samples back to you..." his sentence trailed off as his cell rang in his pocket. He fumbled for it, thinking it might be someone from the hospital with an update. "It's Bri... I should take it..." Abby nodded, absentmindedly, and looked to the mass spectrometer, willing it to work faster. "Hey, swe-" Jimmy was cut off when his wife started telling him something in such a frantic and high pitch, that even Abby was able to detect the urgency. "Wait, slow down... What?" he asked. Abby watched, now. "Yeah, I know. But...how do you?" A pause. "Are you kidding me?" he fumbled for the remote control to Abby's television, and turned it on, flipping to ZNN.

_"...here in downtown Silver Spring where just thirty minutes ago, this tanker truck carry sulfuric acid and other unknown substances lost use of its brakes, and the driver lost control of the vehicle altogether..." _the reporter woman stood probably a hundred yards in front of the truck, where hazmat teams were now scrambling to clean up. The camera panned back some, revealing a man. _"This is Kent Barr, the driver. Kent, can you tell us what happened?"_

_ "Well, I was coming off the interstate, trying to stop at the light, and that's when I noticed the brakes were completely done. My only option off of the highway was to crash. I didn't wanna do that. I know how dangerous this cargo was. I didn't want anyone to get hurt. Truth is, I panicked. I turned up the widest road I could manage to get it to turn on, and blew the horn as much as I could. Tried to slow it down by weaving. My goal had been to get the tires to catch and start skidding, which would've slowed it enough that I could run a pole and stop it without tipping. But no matter what I tried, it wouldn't work."_

_ "Luckily," the reporter looked back at the camera, "There were federal agents in the area, who cleared the streets and sidewalks, taking people inside of the buildings for safety."_

_ "Yes, ma'am, they were. Didn't know they were agents till after. But I was glad to see that. I knew I was gonna tip the truck at the embankment, but I thought it was gonna be okay with the people out of the way. But..." he shook his head, closing his eyes as he looked away from the reporter and the camera. "I...I'm sorry...I can't..."_

_ "There was a young boy in the road," the reporter continued for him. "One of the agents went to rescue him, successful in doing so, but at a cost not many people would be willing to pay. The following clip was given to ZNN by a bystander who had been saved by the very agent who saved that little boy. She was recording the accident on her phone when the grizzly event unfolded. ZNN would like to take a moment to warn the weak of heart to look away, as this footage is unedited and extremely graphic."_

The reporter's face shrunk into a smaller box on the screen as the footage appeared. First it was the truck barreling down the road. Tony could be seen at the door, looking at the boy in the road, and then bolting toward him. McGee shouted after him, and Abby and Jimmy watched in horror as the tanker tipped, the boy thrown to safety, and the acid poured over Tony's body. The people in the building screamed, and that drowned out Tony's screams from being picked up by the phone's recording.

_"Heroically, another agent ran out to rescue the rescuer, suffering less severe, but still serious burns," _the reporter's image grew larger again, and even through Abby's own tears, hands covering most of her face, she could see that the reporter hadn't been unaffected by the footage, herself. _"Both agents are at Bethesda Naval Hospital now, in critical condition. Our thoughts and prayers, no matter your religion, should be with these two brave heroes today, that saved countless lives..."_

_ "Thank you for that, Regina," _the anchorwoman appeared on screen now, back in the newsroom. _"What a lucky break for the civilians, that these agents were there at that time. And such a tragic accident for those agents. I do hope that we'll be able to update you with nothing but good news for their recovery."_

Abby turned off the television, and Jimmy looked at her, realizing that not only was her face soaked with mascara-stained tears, but that she was shaking.

"Abby?" his voice cracked. He'd seen some horrible things in his job. But the agony he had just witnessed Tony in, had really struck a nerve. The forensic scientist threw herself into Jimmy, breaking down in tears and she held onto him. Jimmy held her back, tightly, letting out a few tears, himself, worried about his friends...

*~.~*

**Minutes earlier, on the ambulance ride to Bethesda...**

Gibbs rode in the ambulance with Tony, as Ziva had gone with McGee. They were being brought to the same place, which was less than ten minutes away from the accident. They, meaning the civilians who had followed Tim's ordered, had not only neutralized the acid with the baking soda, but had fire-brigade-style brought buckets of clean water out, washing both agents down as they removed the contaminated clothing. The EMTs simply needed to check their vitals and load them safely into the buses.

Seeing the damage to Tony's body was hard for Gibbs. He'd seen a lot of things in his life, both at work and overseas as a Marine. But this...it was different. And it wasn't, at the same time. Tony had been his friend, one of the best, for over a decade. It was hard to look at the horrors the acid had done to his entire body. No part of his body had been unaffected by the acid, aside from his head and upper part of his face. Wherever the acid had splashed, which went all the way up his neck and chin, had caused destruction. Gibbs couldn't get his screams out of his head.

Screams...as it was, started up again, and Gibbs realized that Tony had woken up on the gurney. His back arched up off of it as he yelled out in pain. The EMT was shouting something, trying to get him to calm down so he could administer some medication, but it was having no effect. Gibbs shoved past him, getting up close to Tony's face, speaking in his ear.

"DiNozzo!" he said, sternly. There was a slight stammer in Tony's breath, as he did all he could to lower the volume of his agonized groans. "Tony, we're bringing you to Bethesda. You're gonna be okay. Just gotta let this man give you something to help with the pain, so calm down, if you can."

He watched as Tony did everything in his power to comply, though the screams still came more like unashamed crying. He hadn't opened his eyes, and his hands were too burned to hold onto anything. Gibbs found himself with a hand in Tony's hair, stroking it slowly to try and give what comfort he could, as he continued to talk him through. He wasn't sure that it helped, though, as Tony fell limp again, back to the obliviousness of unconsciousness...

**TBC...**


	4. Chapter 4

_"Tony!" McGee ran toward his screaming friend, who fell to his knees as the acid burned his flesh. "Tony, I'm coming!" he ran, and he felt the liquid spray onto his skin; felt it start to burn him. He didn't care. He kept going, determined to save Tony from any more agony._

_ Reaching his partner, he picked him up from where he'd fallen, and turned to carry him out of the stream. But suddenly...suddenly his feet were stuck. He couldn't move. Tim looked down and saw himself melting into the asphalt. He tried to pull himself free. He couldn't stay there, or they'd both surely die! _

_ "Help! Someone! Someone help!" and the burning became to strong; to great for him to keep holding onto his friend. "No..." Tony began to slip from his arms. "No!"_

"McGee!" Tim's eyes shot open at the sound of Gibbs voice. "You're dreamin', kid. You're okay," his hands were on Tim's shoulders, firm but without too much pressure.

"Boss?" McGee attempted to catch his breath and will away his pounding heart.

"Yeah, it's me. How are you feelin'?" he backed off a bit, giving the younger agent some space.

"I um..." his eyes shifted back and forth as he seemed to do a self-assessment. "I'm...kinda fuzzy on what happened," he looked to Gibbs again.

The older agent pulled the chair beside the bed a bit closer and sat down. "What do you remember?"

"Walking," he replied, eyes searching the air between them as he thought. "I remember...seeing you and Ziva. And then the truck. The...the truck," his breathing kicked up and he looked at Gibbs wide-eyed. "Oh God...Tony!"

"Calm down, Tim," Gibbs told him, putting a hand on his arm. "Do you remember what happened with the truck?" he asked in a hushed voice.

"I uh..." he took a breath and thought for a moment. "It didn't...hit him. It tipped. Th-the acid...Tony was burning," his breath kicked up again. "I had to get him out of there!"

"And you did, Tim. You saved him."

"Where is he? Is he okay? Is he alive?" his eyes shone with tears.

"He's alive," Gibbs told him. "They're treating him, now. He's got second and third degree chemical burns over ninety percent of his body. He'll likely need several surgical procedures. But he's alive, and he's got you to thank for it."

"Have you seen him? Has he...did he wake up?"

"Hopefully not," Gibbs replied, remembering the incident in the ambulance. "He's gonna be in a lot of pain. It's best he sleeps through what he can. I haven't seen him since we got here. They've been workin' on his for a couple hours now. Abby's running the chemicals to see if she can identify what was in the stuff that burned you, aside from the sulfuric acid."

"There was something else?" McGee looked at his bandaged arms, as if just noticing them now.

"Not enough got on you to leave anything behind, after they started washing you down at the site. But there was a fair amount on DiNozzo. Still trying to figure out what it is."

"But...Tony's gonna be okay?" Tim looked at him with concerned eyes. "I...last I remember seeing him... God, Boss, it was so... I can't get his screaming out of my head."

"I know," Gibbs replied, understanding what the younger agent meant. "Only time will tell." He swallowed, knowing intense burn victims were already prone to worse problems. They were sure if he'd swallowed or inhaled anything while out there, either. Word seemed to be taking forever...

*~.~*

**6 hours later...**

McGee had been cleared to leave, but had opted to stay with Tony, keeping vigil in the chair across from the agent's hospital bed. The room was glass-housed in ICU, and Gibbs kept watch from outside of it. There were chairs, but he'd opted to stand. He kept looking over the bandaged body of his friend, and the IV's connected to the small area of unmarred flesh on his chest, and wondered if it was really helping him at all.

"Jethro," Ducky's voice sounded beside him. He turned his head, acknowledging the doctor. "You really should go and eat something. Timothy is keeping good watch on him, as well as a very good medical staff."

"Not hungry, Duck," he replied.

"I thought as much. Neither am I, to be honest. Any word from Abigail?"

"She hasn't been able to identify the other substance," Gibbs told him.

"Ah," he sighed. "As much has been determined by the hospital. At least we know that whatever it is, it hasn't progressed the decomposition. Anthony's wounds are from the acid, and nothing more, as far as we're able to tell."

"What's his prognosis, really?" Gibbs turned fully to him, giving him a stare that meant he wanted no tip-toeing around the subject.

"His burns," Ducky began solemnly, "Are quite severe. They'll not effect his ability to eventually return to his duties, assuming there are no complications during surgery, but I am afraid that there is no easy recovery from the damage done. Skin grafting...well, he doesn't have enough healthy flesh to graft. And taking donor skin is extremely risky, but it's his only option. It will take time, and lots of it."

"What kind of complications could there be in surgery?"

"Well, they could find that the burns are deeper in some areas. That it went into the muscle or bone, in which case Tony would have a lot more recovery time, and a possibility of losing use of whatever damaged muscle or bone there is. If it is his leg, for instance, there would be a great possibility that he'd not be able to use it properly again."

Gibbs swiped a hand down his face as he released a breath and turned back to look into the room at his SFA. If Tony wasn't able to be an agent anymore, it would kill him.

Suddenly, alarms began to blare from the room, and Tony's body arched off them bed, much like it had in the ambulance. The agent's eyes had opened wide as he drew in a huge and excruciating breath, then began a hoarse screaming that penetrated the halls of the entire floor.

Tim had shot up from the chair, and Gibbs and Ducky rushed into the room before any of the staff had a chance to. But they were quickly moved out of the way, once the nurses flooded the room.

"How is this happening?" Ducky shouted. "He's sedated and heavily medicated!"

"Sir, we're gonna have to ask you to leave!" one of the nurses replied.

"I'll do no such thing!" he retorted. "I'm his doctor!"

"Oh...uh," she stumbled over her words as she tried to secure Tony. "I'm not sure why this is happening, Doctor," she told him, more respectfully. "What do you suggest?"

"I suggest you change the medications at once, first off," he shoved past her and examined the IV. "The placement seems fine, but clearly what you're giving him is ineffective. Give him something, right now, to ease his misery!" he demanded.

"Yes, Doctor," she hurried to a cabinet beside the bed to fetch an injection, as Ducky closer examine the injection site. He moved a bit closer as he noticed something about the small bit of exposes burn just beside it. It looked...as though it were simply sitting on top of his skin.

As the nurse injected a sedative into Tony's IV, Ducky put on a pair of gloves from a box beside the bed, then turned back to his colleague who was now seeming to calm a bit. "My dear Anthony," Ducky spoke as he bent down a bit. "I am so sorry this has happened to you," he told him, and Tony met his eyes with heavy lids. "If you don't mind, I'd like to take a closer look at this affected area here," he indicated to his chest. Tony gave an almost imperceptible nod of acknowledgment.

Ducky lifted the bandage a bit, then touched the browned and dehydrated slab of scab-like skin. To his surprise, the piece moved. He looked to Tony's face for an indication of further pain, but found none. Swallowing with a bit of apprehension, Ducky looked back to the scab and began to lift the edge of it. To his, and everyone else's amazement, the entire piece lifted as though someone has simply placed a slab of something on his chest.

Ducky looked astonished up at Gibbs, then back to Tony, and to the area again, where he continued to lift. Underneath, was a pink patch of fresh, clean skin, taking its first true breath of oxygen as the marred piece had been lifted.

"Impossible," the surgeon said as he had entered the room moments before. "There was damage to the third degree, when I examined him earlier. This...this is impossible..."

**TBC...**


	5. Chapter 5

"It's unclear why," the doctor explained to Ducky and Gibbs the next day, after some extensive research, "But whatever chemical compound this is, that was in that tanker mixed with the acid, seems to be the reason for the repair of the tissue and skin. I can't even be a hundred percent positive of that statement, but there's no other explanation."

"Our forensic scientist has been unable to find any match for the substances, either," Gibbs replied.

"That aside," Ducky interjected, "Why can't the dear boy seem to get any relief from the medications administered?"

"This, again, is just a theory, but we think it's the downside to whatever has caused his body to begin healing. It's stopped the ability for the drugs to take any sort of effect. At first, they had helped. But since the healing process began, they barely seem to do a thing for him, and I'm worried that if we give him much than we have been, it could do extensive damage to his liver and kidneys."

"What about McGee?" Gibbs asked. "He was exposed to the same materials."

"Agent McGee doesn't seem to have any of this unknown substance passed into his system. I believe the larger dose and lengthier amount of time it was on Agent DiNozzo's skin, caused more to be absorbed and travel through his bloodstream. Agent McGee's wounds were first degree; no deep tissue damage. That could also be a culprit to why he doesn't have any of this in his system, and why he shows no signs of this intense level of healing."

"Well," Ducky sighed, "I suppose if there are no adverse effects, we should be grateful for this for Anthony."

Gibbs looked over at the agent sleeping in the bed in the ICU room...

*~.~*

**Late that night...**

McGee stood beside Tony's bed, allowing the older agent to squeeze his hand as he tried to get through the sudden intense onset of pain. They seemed to come in bursts. The meds only did so much before sleep and comfort were no longer an option.

Tony was lying at a slight incline on his back, a sheen layer of sweat covered his face as he breathed quickly and heavily with eyes clenched shut. Tim wasn't even sure he was actually awake; just that he was in a lot of pain and he knew nothing could be done about it. If he didn't know Tony's body was healing, he'd be worried he was dying, instead.

The wave lasted nearly twenty minutes before Tony seemed to slip into a deeper level of unconsciousness. His grip on Tim's hand loosened, and Tim backed away, slumping down into the chair beside the bed. He had to fight to keep tears at bay. Seeing his friend go through this kind of pain was hard, even if it meant he was getting better at the same time.

"How is he?" Abby's hushed voice sounded, suddenly, from the door.

Tim looked over, surprised but happy to see her. He stood again from the chair as she walked over, and she pulled him into a hug, careful not to hurt him. "He's in a lot of pain. But he's getting better," he told her as quietly.

"How about you?"

"I'm okay," he told her, pulling out of the embrace. "Didn't find anything?"

She shook her head, sadly, "As far as any database I have access to, the stuff coursing through Tony's veins right now does not exist."

"That scares the hell out of me," Tim sighed. "Whatever that stuff is, it's making it impossible for medication to work properly. I don't know how he's doing it. I don't think I could."

**TBC...**

**AN: Sorry for the short chapter. I wanted to get more up tonight but I am exhausted...**


	6. Chapter 6

Gibbs had forced Tim to take Abby home and get some rest, himself. Tim had been by Tony's side since he was brought to the hospital. Well, since they let him out from his own admission. And Abby had been up since before the accident, non-stop trying to figure out what chemical compound was in the acidic mixture. They both needed sleep.

So now the lead agent had taken vigil beside Tony's bed, awaiting the next spell of pain that seemed to come regularly. But it had been several hours, now, and nothing had happened. Gibbs thought maybe that meant it was over with. That Tony's body was done with the healing process and now they just needed to wait for his mind to catch up. Or maybe...maybe the healing process had stopped, and whatever had been miraculously helping him, had run out of effectiveness.

Whatever the reason, Gibbs continued drinking coffee and staying awake and alert for his SFA. He looked out the window of the room, out into the city sky that had just begun to wash with color. It would be morning soon. Ziva would be coming in to take over at 0700. She and Gibbs had been out trying to hunt down information from the company that transported the chemicals, while Tim had been here with Tony yesterday. No one seemed to know anything. They had a stack of paperwork from the company they were transporting for, that listed several chemicals including the sulfuric acid. But Abby had gone over the list and shook her head. Whoever made that list was covering up what was in that tanker. That, or something bizarre happened with the mixture. But Abby couldn't prove that.

The chemical mixture contained things that she, nor any agency, had access to. The company that had hired the tanker to come pick up the chemicals, had provided a destination for its delivery. Both the pick-up and drop-off locations had been checked out by Gibbs and Ziva. Neither place existed. Not any more, anyway. An abandoned warehouse, where the truck driver himself lead them to, to show them exactly where he'd picked up the tank from, was all they found...

_ "I swear to you," the driver told them as he gaped at the vacant facility. "There was a sign above the warehouse door, where I picked up the tanker. And men in white lab coats. I assumed it was a medical research facility, from what it looked like. But I never did go inside, so I can't even tell you what's going on..."_

That pick up location was forty miles out of DC. The drop off, in Greenbelt, was also abandoned. In fact, it was an empty parking lot. And just like that, they'd hit a brick wall.

They had investigated enough into the trucking company to know that they weren't involved beyond being hired to transport. The names on the paperwork didn't show up in any database. They were literally and completely at a dead end, and it had infuriated them to no end. What if Tony had died? They would have no one to hunt down and blame for it. No one to tell them why. Gibbs' gut churned every time he thought about the reasons why they'd work so hard to ensure no one knew who was responsible for those chemicals...

With a sigh, Gibbs turned away from the window and looked to Tony, almost jumping in surprise when he saw the agent's eyes wide open. He was staring in front of him at nothing, and looked absolutely terrified. The older agent realized, at that point, that Tony's heart rate had picked up rapidly on the monitor. He approached the bed.

"Tony?" The younger agent gasped in a breath, and Gibbs now saw that he was shaking. "Tony, what's wrong?" he asked, narrowing his eyes as he set down his cup of coffee.

Tony's eyes attempted to turn to look at his boss, but then his body jolted, and his breath drew in deep, and Gibbs couldn't have prepared himself for the tortured scream that tore for his agent's lungs. He reached out, unsure what to do, or where to hold, as Tony's back arched violently up from the bed. "Tony!" Gibbs shouted, trying to anchor him back down. But the amount of strength in the pain was overpowering. And then he just dropped back onto the bed, and his eyes rolled back into his head. This was about the time the nurses flooded into the room, just in time to see Tony's body begin to quake with what seemed to be a grand mal seizure, and the alarms begin to blare on the machines beside the bed.

Gibbs backed out of the way, a hand snaking its way to grab onto the hair on top of his head as he watched them try and stabilize his friend. It was only a few moments before he heard Tony take in another deep breath, and Gibbs braced himself for the tortured scream again, but it didn't come. Instead, Tony sat up in the bed and began tearing at the bandages the were still wrapped over most of his body.

"Get them off... Get em off..." his broken voice pleaded. The nurses, dumbfounded by what had been happening, watched as Tony removed the bandage from his arm, the scab of burned flesh leaving with it, and revealing healed skin. They glanced to each other and immediately began fulfilling his request and taking the rest of the wrappings off.

Gibbs began to approach the bed again, when suddenly Tony grabbed onto his head with both hands, grunting as he clamped his eyes shut. "Tony? Your head hurt?" Gibbs reached the bed, concern washing his face as Tony seemed to not even be aware that he'd spoken. It was maybe thirty seconds, then Tony opened his eyes, panicked, and began pushing the nurses away as he scrambled from the bed.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs went after him as the younger man ended up in the corner, turning his back into it and cowering into a ball.

"Stay away!" he cried.

"Tony, you gotta tell me what's wrong," Gibbs slowly approached, crouching down so that he could meet the agent's eyes. He tried to hide the extreme worry at seeing the bloody splotches that now covered the whites of them. "Tell me, Tony."

Tony searched his eyes. "Y-you'll think I'm...crazy."

"I won't," he shook his head. "Not after everything I've seen here. You can tell me."

Tony looked around the room, "They're gonna tell. They're...gonna tell, and then they'll come for me."

Gibbs narrowed his eyes. "Who will come for you, Tony?"

"The men... They'll come for me and they'll take me and do horrible things. I can't...can't go with them, Gibbs..."

"I won't let them take you," Gibbs told him. "I promise you that." He turned to the nurses that surrounded them. "Anything about this patient leaves this room, I'll know who to come put in handcuffs," he told them. "Nothing leaves this room, you hear me?"

A series of "Yes, sir"s sounded around the room, and Gibbs turned back to Tony.

"Okay?" he asked the younger agent.

Tony swallowed, looking over at the nurses, then back to Gibbs. "I wanna go home," he told him.

"You sure you should be leaving here?" Gibbs asked.

"Please..." Tony all but begged, and then unexpectedly he moved from the corner and grabbed onto the front of his boss's shirt before burying his face into his shoulder and damn near burrowing his entire body into Gibbs' torso. "Please, Gibbs. Please... Please get me outta here..."

Gibbs furrowed his brows as he felt the younger man shaking, and he wrapped his arms around him to try and offer comfort. "Alright, Tony," he gave in. "We'll get you out of here, okay? You're gonna be alright. I'll make sure of it..."

**TBC...**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: First of all, please read this author's note and picture me smiling and laughing, because that's what I'm doing.**

**To the cowardly guest reviewer who thinks they're smart and that I can't tell that you simply reviewed 3 times in a 3 minute time span with lame infantile flames, you are a very sad and bored person, clearly. It is highly improbable that 3 disapproving people read all 6 chapters at the exact same time AND decided to waste time trying to hurt someone's feelings.  
Also, you failed, because I'm just laughing at how sad you are. **

**On with the story :)**

***~.~***

"Sorry about back there," Tony apologized from where he sat in the passenger seat of Gibbs' car. They were heading toward Gibbs' house, after getting signed out of the hospital and finding him something to wear home.

"Been meaning to ask what that was about," Gibbs replied, glad Tony seemed relatively calm, now.

"Heh..." Tony shook his head. "I'm not even a hundred percent sure, myself, Boss. After the pain...I mean the...whole body pain, I felt itchy. I felt like I was coming outta my skin. And I guess in a way I was. But then my head started hurting. Like brain-freeze times a hundred. Got these...flashes of images in my head. Maybe like I was watching a movie that was missing a lotta frames."

Gibbs waited for him to continue, and looked over when he didn't. "What were the images of?" he asked.

Tony looked out ahead of them on the road. "Doctors, I think. Scientists. They came and took me from the hospital, brought me somewhere else. Hooked me up to all this...stuff. They started...dissecting me," he looked over at Gibbs, still creeped out by the image. "Like a frog in seventh grade science. Why would they do that?" Tony seemed to look himself over, as if noticing himself for the first time since the accident. "Boss, what happened to me?" he looked back over at him.

"What do you remember?"

"I remember everything," Tony told him. "At least...well, I think I do. The tanker spilling out on me. I..." he swallowed and looked back forward, eyes darting about in the air in front of him. "I remember the pain. I remember not being able to move, even though everything in me was screaming to get the hell out. I remember screams. And then...I think...I think I heard McGee."

"He pulled you out," Gibbs supplied.

"How did... He would've been burned," Tony looked worriedly over to his boss.

"He was. Not near as bad as you, and he's okay."

"He really went into that...for me?"

"You might've died, if he hadn't."

"I really owe him," he looked back out the window. After a few long moments, he continued, "That's not really what I meant though. I mean...what's happened to me? Why am I...why don't I have burns? Why did I just...get better? Just like that..."

"I don't have the answer for those questions, Tony," Gibbs replied. "Not for lack of trying to find them. But whatever the reason, it means you're better. People that go through what you went through usually have to go through years of recovery and surgical procedures, and even then, they're never really the same."

"Don't get me wrong, Boss. I'm happy I don't get the nickname 'toasty'. But it's just...it's creepin' me out. It's kinda weird. And it sure as hell isn't natural. And from what I saw in my head..." his sentence tapered off as he looked away. "That chemical stuff. What if...what if it gave me some kinda super powers," he turned to look at Gibbs with a grin. "Like Plastic Man."

Gibbs couldn't help but let out a laugh. "The old comic books?"

"Yeah," Tony was pleasantly surprised Gibbs knew what he was talking about. "Maybe I'll be able to shape-shift. That'll come in handy on the job, right? Not to mention," he laughed, "Superhuman strength and agility. I...I guess...I already have the ability to regenerate. Unless that was a one-time deal."

"Don't forget seeing your future," Gibbs played along.

"Yeah well...that one I'd just as soon do without. That was painful." The car was silent for the rest of the ride, both of them in deep thought. Once Gibbs pulled up to the house and cut the ignition, Tony finally spoke again.

"Hey, Boss?" he glanced to him, then back down at his hands that fidgeted with the too-large sweatpants. "Do you... I mean, that is... Does this scare you as bad as it does me?" After a few moments without an answer, Tony looked up and met Gibbs' eyes.

**TBC...**

**AN: Ginormously huge day today, so I may not have a chapter for you again until late tomorrow...and even then, no promises. Cuz ya know...Christmas is coming up and all that jazz.**


	8. Chapter 8

_"Hey, Boss?" he glanced to him, then back down at his hands that fidgeted with the too-large sweatpants. "Do you... I mean, that is... Does this scare you as bad as it does me?" After a few moments without an answer, Tony looked up and met Gibbs' eyes._

"Guess that depends," Gibbs replied, softly. "How bad does it scare _you_?"

Tony let out a breath and searched his mind for the appropriate words to convey it. "I feel like I'm just a hair away from losing it," he admitted. "In fact, I feel like maybe I already did lose my mind. Like maybe I'm really just comatose in that hospital bed, possibly never to wake up again because of the injuries, and this is all some weird messed up delusion-land my mind created. And my avid life-long love for movies is the perfect breeding ground for imaginative delusions..."

"Well, this isn't a dream," Gibbs shook his head with a slight grin on his face. "And you're not in a coma."

"My mind figment of you could say that to me."

"I wouldn't lie to you. Not even in your dreams."

"Oh yeah?" Tony smirked.

"Damn straight."

"Okay. Well...you didn't answer my question."

Gibbs had been hoping to avoid it. So he thought about it for a few moments, even though he'd thought long and hard about it for a long time now. Then he met Tony's eyes again. "Does it scare me? Maybe. But would I trade it for the alternative? Losing you in that accident, or having you left disabled? Not in a million years."

"Say that again if I start growing tentacles," Tony joked.

"Whatever it was, it saved you. That's all I currently give a damn about. We'll deal with whatever comes, when it comes."

Tony thought about that for a moment. "Yeah. I guess you're right. I'm really glad I'm not in pain anymore, if nothing else. I can't even...explain to you that pain, Boss..."

"Splashed sulfuric acid on my arm, once," Gibbs told him. "Hurts like a sonofabitch. I don't know how you didn't manage to pass out within the first few seconds of that."

"DiNozzo's don't pass out," he smirked.

"Oh yeah they do," Gibbs raised his brows. "You're not invincible."

"Well who knows, now, right?" he laughed. Then slowly the smile faded from his face. "Let's go inside. I'm kinda tired..."

*~.~*

McGee was sprawled out on his stomach in his bed, arm hanging over the side of the mattress, when a buzzing sounded from in the nightstand drawer. Only a few moments passed before Tim's eyes shot open with the realization of what the sound had been. He shot over to the drawer and opened it, fishing for the phone he kept there. Once he found it, he flipped it open to read the sent text. It was nothing but an irc channel address, as he'd expected.

The agent stood up and made his way to the computer, opening the appropriate channel and announcing his presence.

_TM: What is it?_

…

_Camper: A subject exposed to the unknown chemical compound currently labeled Contingency._

…

Tim furrowed his brows as he surmised what Camper was talking about._  
TM: What does this have to do with you?_

Camper: That is currently not your concern. I need you to discover the identity of the federal agent and report to us.

…_  
TM: I don't work for you._

Camper: Perhaps we've had a miscommunication.

TM: Clearly. You don't give me orders. Now tell me, what's with the interest in this agent? And what do you know about the Contingency compound?

…

_Camper: Camper has been monitoring suspicious activity of a possible suspect you have ordered us to search for. The suspect created the compound accidentally and was having it delivered to be properly disposed of. _

…

_TM: Why wasn't I notified there was a suspect?_

…

_Camper: Specific parameters were not yet met that required the level of suspicion necessary to inform you. _

…

_TM: Why were they sending the compound to be destroyed? What did it do?_

…

_Camper: Outcome of exposure of Contingency to animal test subjects resulted in negative psychological affects. _

…

Tim didn't like the sound of that.

_TM: Elaborate._

…_  
Camper: Subjects showed signs of severe neurological defect, resulting in loss of interest in survival. They stopped eating and died of starvation._

…_  
_ McGee was lost in thought for a few moments, worried about what this could mean for Tony. Then he realized something.

_TM: Why is there no interest in the other agent that had been exposed?_

…

_Camper: Animal subjects that were only exposed to a very small amount were unaffected by the compound._

…

_TM: If this compound was meant to testing on living subjects, why the sulfuric acid? What role does that play in any of it?_

…

_Camper: Sulfuric acid is not part of the Contingency compound. Suspect added it to the compound for disposal. _

…

_TM: Who is the suspect?_

…

_Camper: Suspect's real identity has not yet been discovered. Suspect's alias is Afon Moskvin._

…

_TM: He's Russian? Do you have his current location?_

…

_Camper: Suspect's current location is unknown. Last known location was downtown Washington, D.C. He is currently no longer in the city, according to our data._

…

_TM: Report to me the moment you find him. There is no minimum requirement. Do you understand?_

…

_Camper: We understand. _

…

_TM: And there's no reason for you to be trying to find the exposed agent._

…

_Camper: On the contrary, it would be wise to contain him. He is a carrier of the Contingency compound, and it is unknown if an uncontained subject can infect a population._

Tim stared at the words on the screen, suddenly overcome with fear...

TBC...


	9. Chapter 9

"Where is he?!" McGee shouted as he frustratedly paced in front of the ICU room that used to be Tony's. No one would answer his questions. No one would tell him if he'd been moved or where he was. "Someone please tell me!"

"You're the agent that was brought in with him, right?" a nurse said as she came around the corner. The other nurses looked to her, and Tim realized that they seemed afraid to talk to him.

"Yeah," he answered her. "Tim McGee. But I told them that."

"You introduced yourself as an agent," she replied, then looked to the nurses. "It's alright." Then she took Tim's arm and headed into the empty ICU room, shutting the door behind them.

"What the hell is going on?" Tim asked, impatiently.

"First of all, you need to calm yourself," she replied, with a bit of bite. "Your boss, Gibbs, swore us to keep our mouths shut about Agent DiNozzo. We couldn't talk to you about anything. But I know you're his friend, so I'll tell you he did get discharged and left with Agent Gibbs. But anything more, you'll have to talk to him about."

"Something happened..." Tim surmised.

"Honey, I can't tell you about that, either. As far as you or anyone knows, DiNozzo just vanished. We know nothing."

*~.~*

"Hey, Boss?" Tony called from the couch. "There enough coffee for me to have some?"

"Always enough coffee here, DiNozzo," Gibbs smirked from the kitchen and pulled down another cup.

"Thanks," Tony leaned back on the couch, suddenly feeling exhausted. "Man, I'm wiped all of a sudden. Think I might be getting a headache," he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"What some aspirin or something?" Gibbs asked, carrying both mugs out into the living room.

"Maybe...gah!" he yelped and grasped both sides of his head, springing forward to double over from the sudden onset of familiar pain.

"Tony!" Gibbs quickly set the mugs on the coffee table, spilling some of the liquid in his haste, as he rushed to the agent. He crouched before him, grabbing Tony by the shoulders as he tried to look at his face. Tony's eyes opened, bloody with hemorrhaging, looking at him, but not at him at the same time. "Tony, can you hear me?"

But Tony couldn't reply. He could barely take in a breath. The room started to fade and be replaced with something else...

_"No, I'm on my way there, now!" McGee said into his phone as he drove quickly up the __interstate, weaving in and out of traffic. "I have no idea why they left! I can't get them to answer the phone, so I'm going to see for myself! But I need you to look into something for m-" Tim dropped his phone before suddenly gripping the wheel and going wide-eyed at the road in front of him. _

_ A tractor-trailer had just lost two tires and was spiraling out of control, a car-length ahead of him. And before he could slam on his brakes hard enough, the truck turned, skidding its back-side across all the lanes. This caused chaos in front of Tim's car, as the other vehicles began losing control, barreling into the truck, and into each other._

_ McGee tried to stop, but the cars behind him barreled into him, not expecting the sudden stop in traffic, and pushed him into the mess of vehicles in front of him. _

_ Then there was an eery quiet, and McGee was breathing heavily from the adrenaline. He was frantically pushing against the air bag that had saved his head from hitting the wheel, but was now in the way of his escape. He forced a hand down to snake to his belt for his knife, and eventually punctured the bag. That's when he realized his legs were trapped._

_ Outside the window there were cars surrounding him like some twisted tetris game, and people wandering out of them like zombies, some blooded and crying. _

_ And then he saw the fire. "Oh god... Oh no..." he struggled to get out of the seat, pulling at his belt and successfully removing it. But his legs were still trapped. "Go! Get out of here! Fire!" he shouted out of his broken driver-side window. The cries of the people turned to screams, and McGee went back to trying to free himself._

_ "Dude, you gotta get outta here!" a younger man beside the car yelled. "There's fire and there's gas leaking all over the place!"_

_ "I know!" Tim replied. "I'm stuck!"_

_ "Lemme help you!" the man tried to reach in through the window and pull at the steering wheel. McGee let him for a few moments, until the fire grew bigger._

_ "Just go!" he shouted. "Get outta here! I can do this myself!"_

_ "Dude, no way!"_

_ "The fire is getting too close! Get out!"_

_ The man looked to the fire, thought a few moments, then back to McGee. "No way, man! I'm not leaving you here to die!" he went back to pulling on the wheel._

_ "Then we'll both die!" Tim shouted back. The man looked at Tim, pausing in his efforts. His eyes became wet at he looked back and forth between the fire and him. "Just go. Save yourself," Tim pleaded. "It's okay."_

_ The man swallowed, not wanting to leave, but not wanting to die, either. "Dude...I'm so sorry."_

_ "It's okay. Go! Go now!" Tim watched as the man hurried away, climbing over the cars to get __to safety, the he turned back to trying to free himself. "Come on...come on!" he pushed at the wheel. Then he thought to try and reach down between the crushed door and the seat to the panel and press the button that would move the entire seat back. To his amazement, the function still worked, and it was moving. _

_ He screamed out at the pain it caused his legs and knees to pull free of the wheel. No doubt something was likely broken or dislocated. But he had no choice. Finally free, he moved to get himself out via the window, and then the fire blazed up around the car. The entire car._

_ And then there was a massive explosion..._

"No!" Tony shouted, as he suddenly snapped back to reality, releasing the breath he'd been holding, and sucking in the air his lungs so desperately needed.

"Tony, talk to me!" Gibbs shouted, hands still grasping his shoulders as he moved up to sit on the coffee table in front of him.

"McGee!" Tony shouted, a mixture of anguish and fear washing over his face.

"What about McGee?" Gibbs narrowed his eyes.

"I need a phone," he told him. "I need a phone, Boss! Now! I need to call him!"

Gibbs let go of Tony and fished his phone from his pocket, realizing as he looked at the screen, that he'd missed several calls from the agent because it was still on silent. "Damnit," he dialed the phone and handed it to Tony.

Tony's hand shook as he put the phone to his ear.

_"Boss?"_

"Tim, don't get on the interstate!" the senior field agent yelled.

_"Tony? What? Why not?"_

"Just...please! Please promise me you'll stay off!"

_"I was just heading to Gibbs'-"_

"Take the side roads if you have to. Just don't get on the interstate!"

_"Okay okay... I... Tony, are you okay? I got to the hospital and you weren't there and they wouldn't tell me anything..."_

"I'm okay. I...I just..."

_"I'll stay off the interstate, okay? I don't know what's going on, but I'll take the side roads and I'll see you in a little while. Gibbs there with you?"_

"Yeah."

_"Good. Okay. I'll see you in a few."_

"Please be careful..." he ended the call and looked at his boss. He knew he must've sounded crazy. And though Gibbs didn't give away too much in his features, Tony knew him well enough to know that he was worried. And truth be told, Tony was really close to checking himself into a mental ward. "I'm sorry..."

"For what?"

"I dunno what...I just...I saw something when I got that headache," he told him.

"Like with the doctors?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "But this time it wasn't that at all. It was a horrible wreck."

"On the interstate," Gibbs surmised.

"Yeah. And McGee...I saw him...I saw him die." His eyes brimmed with tears. "Boss, what the hell is wrong with me?"

Before Gibbs could answer, his phone was ringing again. He took it from Tony's hand, and seeing it was McGee, answered. "Yeah, Gibbs."

_"Boss, I...I'm on a side road that runs perpendicular to the interstate, and I just pulled over..."_

"Ya alright, McGee?"

_"Yeah, Boss, I'm okay. But...I pulled over because I heard a huge crash. A lot of crashes, actually. And I'm standing here looking at a mass pile-up on the interstate. Boss...how...how did he-" _his voice was cut off by a large boom that sounded over the phone, and set Gibbs' heart racing a bit.

"McGee?" he waited a moment for an answer, then tried again. "Tim!"

_"Boss, I'm here. There was an explosion. God, all those people..."_

"Tim, you get here, now," Gibbs told him, standing and pacing the room.

_"But I should-"_

"There's help on the way for them. You need to get yourself here..."

TBC...


	10. Chapter 10

"So this is for real..." Tony said as the three of them stared at the news covered on Gibbs' small television in the basement. "What I'm seeing in my head. I'm not crazy. Well, I guess...maybe that'd depend on how you look at it... But I'm not just...delusional. Right?" he looked to his colleagues who were now looking at him.

"This is..." McGee began. "Well, I was gonna say crazy, but I guess that's maybe not the right choice of wording."

"Guess maybe you weren't too far off with what you were talkin' about in the car," Gibbs said. "About the super powers."

"Well this isn't very awesome," Tony commented. "Do you know how painful the visions are? If it hadn't just saved Tim's life, it wouldn't have been worth it at all..."

"But it did. You did," Gibbs told him.

"I don't mind suffering, if it helps my friends," Tony said. "But McGee wouldn't have been in danger if it wasn't for me, in the first place."

"First off," Tim said, "You shouldn't have to suffer for your friends. Secondly, I put _myself_ in danger by freaking out. That's not your fault."

"But you were freaking out about me."

"I should've called you," Gibbs chimed in. "And when I didn't, I should've had my phone off silent. So in reality, we're all to blame. Point is, Tony, this is something you can use to your advantage. It beats the alternative of having that stuff that spilled on you simply be the acid."

"You do have a point," Tony replied.

"Thought I gotta say, I don't like what happens to you when you have those visions."

"I can definitely agree with you there, Boss," Tony said. "But what if someone finds out about this? Finds out about what I can do?"

"The nurses at Bethesda aren't gonna talk," Tim told them. "I'm lucky one of them recognized me enough to tell me at least that you'd been discharged."

"Don't have to tell anyone what you can do," Gibbs said. "Not like it's obvious what's goin' on, anyway."

"What if there's other things?" Tony asked. "Like ya know...like Plastic Man?"

"Guess we'll have to lay low for a while. Far as everyone outside the hospital knows, you're still suffering from life-threatening burns. You name was never mentioned on the news. No one knows where to look for you. If something else happens, we'll find it out here."

"Guys?" McGee shyly butted into the conversation. "I have something I need to tell you..." Both agents turned to look at McGee. "I um..." he took a breath then let it out. "When I was still going to MIT, I was attacked. Actually, more like I witnessed an attack and intervened. Tried to, anyway. But the guy...the suspect, it was like... Well, it was like he had some kind of superhuman ability."

"What?" Tony raised a brow. "Are...are you messing with me right now?"

"No, Tony. Would you just listen? It's important."

"Does it have anything to do with what happened to Tony?" Gibbs asked.

"Possibly. It's too much of a coincidence not to." Gibbs nodded for him to continue. "Anyway, this guy's ability to maneuver around was like watching an animated movie. It was really strange. And his strength... Well, I know I'm not the strongest guy around, but this guy pressed his victim into the wall so hard, there was an indentation. It was a brick wall...

"So anyway, I built this program, after trying unsuccessfully to track him down, that would sniff him out. Any suspicious activity that fell into the parameters of something this guy could do. But it was like he just fell off the Earth. I knew he hadn't, though. So I built the program to be more intense and more nationwide. I set it up on property my family owns but doesn't use. It's in an old camper that my parents used to take us on camping trips when we were kids in. The entire camper houses servers and equipment necessary to run the program continuously.

"This morning I got a message from it."

"You got a message from your program?" Tony asked.

"It's rigged to work as a communications system when it requires my input, or if it should ever locate the assailant the program was created to find. It had found a possible suspect weeks ago, but never informed me because it hadn't met a specific number of requirements. But then...then this incident with the tanker caused it to contact me for another reason."

"I don't understand," Tony shook his head.

"Camper discovered the suspect was conducting experiments with an unknown chemical compound called Contingency. It's negative affects on lab rats caused him and his team to believe that it was a bad brew, apparently. They mixed it with sulfuric acid for the transport of the compound to be disposed of. The rest, of course, you already know. It never reached its destination. But you were exposed to enough of it that its caused some kind of reaction."

"How long did you know about this?" Gibbs asked, slightly angrily.

"I swear I had no idea about the program having found a suspect. It just reported to me this morning. All I can tell you now is...we have to make sure he never finds out who you are, Tony..."

TBC...

**AN: Y'all have a super awesome amazing Christmas! Don't let family drama get to you and your holiday. It's normal and expected. Be happy and enjoy each other, because life is short and you never know when one of them won't be there next time. ~hugs~ **


	11. Chapter 11

"So," Tony started, after thinking for a long while about what Tim had told them, "The location where you have your program running... Is that the only one, or are there more?"

The three of them were now sitting in the basement on saw horses, having a beer. For some reason, it felt safer to talk about it down there.

"My plan, originally, had been to have several locations. I just didn't have the funding for it. But that's why this program location calls itself 'Camper'."

"Does this super-villain guy have a nickname? I mean, does he call himself something, or have you made anything up?"

"No," Tim replied. "At least, not that I know of. I don't think he's out for glory. He's never tried to make himself known. It's why it's been so hard to find him. He keeps a low profile. If he's been doing anything bad, we haven't been able to pinpoint it. In fact, it had been such a long time since I first saw him, I'd started to come to the conclusion that I'd just imagined the whole thing."

"But you kept the program running, just in case," Gibbs surmised.

Tim nodded, "It couldn't hurt."

"Must've been pricey, though," Tony guessed.

"Not really. I mean, I've got an extra electric and internet bill. And there have been a few instances where I'd have to replace or upgrade things. But it really hasn't cost that much."

"I find all this...really hard to believe," Tony said.

"I...which part?" McGee questioned.

"The part where Gibbs didn't know something about one of us," Tony smirked. Gibbs half-smiled and shook his head at the comment. Then he over-reached for his beer bottle on the workbench and knocked it over. He gasped and reached out for it, and just before it reached the concrete floor, it stopped in mid-air; just hovering there for a moment. And the shock of it made them all freeze up. Tony gasped and shook his head as if to clear it, and the bottle clinked to the floor, spilling its contents, but the glass remained intact.

McGee looked to Tony's face right as the SFA grimaced and put a hand on his forehead. "Y...you okay?"

"Feels like...like brain freeze," he told them. And then the slight pain was gone, and he was looking back and forth between the two agents. "What the hell was that? Did I...was that me? Did I just..."

"Pretty sure that was you," Gibbs replied, still in a bit of disbelief, himself.

"Can you do it again?" Tim asked, a little excited.

"I...I don't even know how I did it the first time!" Tony replied, incredulously.

"Just..." McGee downed the last few sips of beer from his own bottle, then held it out before letting it go.

"Whoa!" Tony shouted and reached out to try and catch it, and had the same thing happen. The bottle stopped in mid-air. "Holy sh..." Tony pushed up from his saw horse and backed away, ultimately causing the bottle to drop to the floor. "This is...this is insane..."

"It's incredible," Tim countered.

"Why does it hurt? Every time some...weird power thing happens, it hurts..."

"Maybe your adjusting?"

"I don't know. How would I know that?"

"How would _I_?" Tim replied.

"You have more experience with this stuff!"

"No I don't. I just...witnessed something a long time ago. It's not the same."

"How am I gonna keep this from people?" Tony sank back down onto the saw horse. "I don't even know when I'm gonna..._do_ things."

"This is your first day with these..abilities," Tim encouraged. "You'll most likely get used to them and learn how to not use them. I mean, I'm not expert or anything, but I'm sure you can adapt."

"And if we can, we'll help," Gibbs told him.

Tony took a breath and slowly released it, trying to calm himself. "So I guess I'm hiding out for a while, after all," he resigned. "It's probably best we keep this to ourselves. Anyone we tell, it'd be like putting them in danger. And I don't want anyone getting hurt. Not because of me."

"That won't happen," Gibbs told him. "But I agree. This is kept between us. At least unless the moment arises that it would become necessary to let someone else on the team know, for safety or whatever reason."

"Speaking of the team," McGee chimed in, "We should probably at least update them on how he's doing. Ya know, let them know not to go looking at Bethesda for him."

"God knows if Ziva goes there and doesn't get answers, those nurses could be in for some major trouble," Tony agreed.

"What do we tell them, Boss?" Tim asked.

Gibbs shrugged, "Tell them...Tony's been released into my care. That the hospital was a risk for infection, and that I demanded he receive home care. I'll talk to Vance, myself; see if we can't get some time..."

*~.~*

They had come to the ultimate conclusion that instructing the team to keep the fact that Tony had been the agent injured in the tanker accident a secret, was the best possible course of action. Even Vance was asked to do this, and though Gibbs couldn't give them exact reasons why, they were informed that it was for his safety, and that should they be questioned about his whereabouts, to tell people that DiNozzo was on a top security clearance level undercover mission, and that it wasn't to be discussed amongst coworkers.

Though there was a great level of concern for Tony from all agents involved, they were assured that Tony was in good hands, and that Gibbs' house was under a strict level of quarantine, not for the sake of visitors, but for Tony's safety. Guests could bring the possibility of infection just like being in the hospital would. Abby and Ziva were upset by the news that visitation would be minimal, if at all, in the near future. Abby was more outwardly expressive with her disappointment, but Ziva felt just as strongly.

They were curious, though. Each of them had their questions, and they wanted to know what was happening. They weren't oblivious to the fact that it seemed a strange request, and that everything surrounding it all seemed fishy. All in all, however, they would respect Gibbs' wishes in the matter, because they trusted him and his judgment. He left them with the promise of a future meeting where he would update them on what was going on, and perhaps be able to answer some of their questions...

**Late that night...**

"I finished setting up surveillance around the outside of Tony's place," McGee told his boss, quietly, trying not to wake Tony who was asleep on the couch, as he wearily made his way into the kitchen from the front door. "If anyone starts sniffing around, we'll have a heads up that they know who they're looking for. Hopefully it won't come to that."

"That's good work," Gibbs told him, handing him a beer from the fridge.

"Abby called me earlier," he told him as he twisted the cap from the bottle. "Wanted to know if you'd talked to me."

"What'd you say?" Gibbs sat down at the table with him.

"Told her you did," he shrugged. "And I told her I'd seen Tony and that everything was going to be okay. She's worried. But mostly I think she's aggravated that she can't do what she wants," he smirked.

"We should assume she'll try and show up at some point, anyway," Gibbs suggested. "And if you're here, she'll demand to be let in, too."

"Which is why I parked in the garage," Tim told him. "Unless she follows me around, she shouldn't be able to tell I'm here." He took a long draw from his beer. "I uh...I hope it's okay with you that I'm here," he furrowed his brows. "I kinda...I...I don't know, really. I just feel like I need to be here. With Tony."

"You feel like you're somehow responsible," Gibbs surmised. "Because you knew that somewhere in the world, this bad guy was out there, and hadn't told us about it."

"I thought you'd think I was crazy...and that was selfish of me."

"But there was no way you could've known he was near by, or that this would've happened," Gibbs narrowed his eyes. "That was a one in a million chance thing that happened downtown. People would've gotten hurt and possibly killed. The fact that we were there was pure coincidence, even if I don't generally believe in that sorta thing. It just was."

"Either way," Tim replied, "I feel like I owe... I mean... I want to be here for him, Boss. I wanna help him, like we said we would. And maybe even protect him, even though it's clear that he can do a better job the other way around. Especially now."

"And we will," Gibbs put a hand on his shoulder, giving him a reassuring smile. "No, I don't mind that you're here, to answer you're question." Tim's features softened with gratitude. But they were both pulled from their thoughts when they heard a gasp from the living room, and turned to see Tony shoot to sit straight up out of his sleep, wide-eyed and covered in a sheen layer of sweat.

The two agents rushed into the living room without any hesitation. "You okay?" Gibbs asked.

Tony looked up to meet his eyes, then Tim's, then back to Gibbs. "I uh..." he breathed, "I think I had a nightmare."

"Oh," Tim sat down beside him. "A vision?"

"I don't...think so," Tony replied. "It was different. But uh...I can't remember it. Can't remember what it was. But...I have this weird intense feeling of...dread..."

TBC...


	12. Chapter 12

**Three weeks later...**

The dreams came in the same way, every night. Dark and mysterious with a side of dread. Tony could never quite grasp what they meant, though now he remembered what he saw. The darkness had become a little easier to see, over the weeks. From what he could tell, it was simply a room; empty and cold. He felt the cold. He concluded that the feeling of dread might just be that cold. But he couldn't quite understand why.

Part of him felt that this was a side-effect from the Contingency compound; something he'd have to learn to live with. But he imagined he wasn't likely getting much actual sleep during these dreams. He would've said something about it, had he felt like he wasn't well rested. He never really felt much like he needed to sleep at all, lately. He'd just go to bed when everyone else did, and seemed to be able to drift off without a problem.

Tony hadn't had any visions lately. For that much, he was extremely grateful. That pain was excruciating when it happened, and they were frightening to boot. But his other ability, moving things presumably with his mind, was starting to look more promising. Between Gibbs' and McGee's assistance in helping him to keep focused, he'd been able to figure out and understand what to do in order to make it work when he wanted it to. Tony said it felt kind of like that moment when you're almost asleep, and suddenly feel like you're falling, and jolt awake.

The time had come. Tony was ready to get back to work. But in order to do that, a meeting had to be held with the agents that knew the truth about the accident. The agents that didn't know the whole truth, but that they were covering up part of it, and just waiting for answers. Patiently, at that. Maybe 'patiently' was a strong word to use in Abby's case.

After that first week, Abby demanded to at least speak to Tony on the phone, and therein started a nightly phone call between the two. Ziva participated in some of those calls. And Ducky had been over the house a couple times each week to check Tony's vitals and make sure there was nothing they were missing medically.

Still, they all itched to see him back at work, and find out what was going on. So when Gibbs called the meeting at his house for that evening, they were eager to be there. Even Director Vance. Even if his itch was merely crazed curiosity.

It was now 8:30 in the evening, and people were beginning to arrive at the Gibbs residence. Both Gibbs and Tony decided it'd be best to have the situation explained to the guests a bit, before Tony joined in the meeting. Seeing him right away might be a distraction to the necessity of revealing the facts. McGee would assist Gibbs in telling the rest of the team.

"Doesn't look much different than last time I was here," Vance commented, being the first to arrive. "And to be honest, I figured it'd smell like a hospital, what with DiNozzo being cared for in here."

Gibbs raised a brow with a slightly amused grin, "Come on in, Leon. Have a seat in the living room. Want coffee? A beer?"

"I'll take a beer, Jethro. Thanks."

Once Gibbs was walking back to the couch where Vance had taken a seat on the couch, Abby came bounding in through the front door, a previous argument still on her lips as she sought out the lead agent. "Gibbs!" she didn't see the director on the couch. "Why did McGee get to see Tony all this time, and not any of us?" she asked, angrily. "That's not fair! You know how much I missed him, and yet you told all of us we couldn't see him for a while. And here I find out McGee's been seeing him all along! What gives?" she stomped a foot.

Gibbs gave her a halfhearted glare, waiting for her to finish, then waited until she looked to start calming down before he replied. "You'll understand, once we've finished the meeting, Abs," he told her. Then he looked over to McGee who stood in the entrance way looking sheepish.

"Sorry, Boss," he said quietly. "I...worded something wrong, and she caught on to me and there was no coming back..."

Gibbs couldn't help but to smirk at that image. "Both of you take a seat. Just waiting on Ducky, Ziva and Palmer."

"They're coming in one car," Tim told him as he took a seat in the chair across from the couch. "And they weren't far behind us, getting out of the office."

"Where's Tony?" Abby asked, much calmer than she was, but still anxious.

"He's here," Gibbs told her. "And you'll all see him soon enough. But you'll hear us out, first."

"Us?" she queried.

"McGee and me," he answered, narrowing his eyes when she huffed. "Everything that's happened over the past month has been for DiNozzo's safety, so you need to let go of the anger and start having some compassion. You think it was easy keeping this to ourselves?"

Abby's face fell a bit, and she looked suddenly ashamed for giving them a hard time. "I'm...sorry. It's just been hard. Ya know...not knowing."

Anything Gibbs might've wanted to say in return, was cut off by the sudden entrance of the three remaining party members. "Sorry we're a tad late, Jethro," Ducky exclaimed. "Jimmy missed the turn and we had to drive eight blocks just to turn back around."

"In my defense, I've never really...been here before," the young assistant said. "And it's snowing and the traffic on the interstate is all mangled still since that big wreck destroyed half of the lanes. The construction is taking forever."

Gibbs looked to Tim, as the three others made their way into the living room. Tim stood and offered his seat to Ducky, as Ziva took a seat between the director and Abby, and Jimmy sat down on the arm of the couch. Tim stood beside Gibbs, nervous about what they were about to reveal, yet relieved that it didn't have to be a secret anymore. Gibbs, on the other hand, was worried. Not only was this going to sound insane, but this was ultimately putting them all, and Tony, in danger. Alas, it had to be done. This was the only way things could return to semi-normal.

"I know you're all worried about Tony," Gibbs started out. "And I know it's been hard not being able to see him, to know for yourself that he really is okay. But there's a reason we've kept you away, and it's had nothing to do with his medical help."

"What?" Ziva tilted her head, confused.

"I thought there was a risk of infection..." Abby added.

"That was the only thing we could say that would make sense to keep you from coming," Gibbs told her. "But there was a reason, and we couldn't tell you the truth. Not until we had some things under control." Gibbs looked to the agent that stood beside him, which was his cue to tell them about the program he'd created and the incident he'd seen that made him want to do so.

He told them everything, up to the accident that hurt Tony, then gave the floor back to his boss.

"Tony started to go through intense painful spells that the medicine they were giving him in the hospital wasn't helping," Gibbs told them, then looked to Ducky.

"The process, we've concluded, was some rare reaction to the compound mixed with the acid," Ducky told them. "It somehow caused the irreparable damage done to Anthony's tissue to simply...expel from his body. And not just that, but it was as if the damaged tissue itself was simply a costume that needed to be peeled away. Beneath it was undamaged tissue. Almost as if he'd regenerated, though the process is one that I've not seen before."

"Regenerated?" Ziva looked to the doctor. "So...he is well? He is no longer damaged by the accident?"

"Damaged, no," Ducky replied. "But Anthony has not been left unchanged."

"I can imagine that kind of incident would leave him with some post traumatic issues," Vance chimed in. "But why take him out of the hospital, Gibbs?"

"Because he was in danger," he replied.

"Danger, how?" Abby asked. "Does this have to do with the guy McGee's been looking for?"

"Possibly," Gibbs told her. "We don't know for sure."

"Then how did you know he was in danger?" Ziva asked.

"Because I saw it," Tony's voice sounded from the stairs as he descended. Everyone stood, and Tony paused, almost flinching, then put on a smile. "Guys, I'm not the president..."

"Tony!" Abby rushed over to meet him at the bottom of the staircase and he swooped her into a big hug.

"Missed ya, Abs," he told her.

"Not as much as I missed you," she told him. "I was so worried..."

"You didn't need to be."

"Well I know that now," she pulled away and punched his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he told her, rubbing his shoulder just absentmindedly. "I couldn't really tell you much."

"I know. So you're okay?"

"Yeah," he smiled at her again. "But...there's more to tell you," his smile faded.

"Why don't you come back in here," Gibbs suggested, and the two filed back into the living room.

Ziva was the last one to remain standing, other than those without a seat. She looked at Tony as if he were an apparition, and then seemed to digest it and accept. "What...what did you mean, that you saw it?" she asked him.

"I uh..." Tony cleared his throat. "I was in the hospital and I'd just had my last...episode, for lack of a better word, and they were taking off the rest of the bandages. Then...my head felt like it was going to explode. Just outta no where. I couldn't do anything but shut my eyes and ride it out. But then it was like a movie playing behind my eyelids. I saw...things. I saw people. They were doing things. To me. They were running tests. Dissecting me like a lab rat. When I came out of it, every bone in my body screamed at me to get out of there. I'm just lucky Gibbs believed me enough to help me."

"Did someone come to the hospital looking for you?" Vance queried, eyes narrowing.

"We haven't gotten any calls about it," Gibbs answered. "We've got the nursing staff keeping tabs for us. But we're pretty sure we took the right precautions to make sure that never happened."

"How do you know he was really in any danger?" the director asked.

"We don't," Tony replied.

"But it's likely," Tim chimed in. "Especially after one of those headaches saved my life. You know that wreck that's still got the interstate clogged up? I was supposed to be in that. Tony called and forced me to take the back roads. The crash happened right next to where I was driving beside the interstate."

"Haven't had anything like that happen, since," Tony told them. "The headaches, I mean. But...we wanted to let you know what's been going on and why I've kinda been in hiding. And why we asked you to cover for me."

"If word ever got out that the injured agent left the hospital alive," McGee told them, "Tony could be in great danger. Since we're the only people that know the truth, and knowing Tony needed to be able to resume his normal duties, you had to made aware."

"Especially you, Director," Gibbs added. "If you're put in a position where someone higher up asks you what's going on, you can't tell them the truth. It can't be one of you agents that was burned in that accident."

"The cell phone footage they played on the news isn't clear enough to identify anyone in it," Vance told him. "So your plan might actually work. You think you're ready to come back to work, then?" he asked Tony.

"Yes, Sir," he replied.

"Another week on desk duty, just so we can know those headaches are gone for good." His cell rang, and he pulled it out to check the ID. "That's Jackie. I'm gonna need to head out. I'll see you all tomorrow," he told them, then let himself out.

Gibbs turned to Tony once the front door closed. He and McGee had been waiting to see if the senior field agent was going to let the rest of them in on his other secret.

"I wasn't sure I wanted Vance knowing about this other one," Tony smirked nervously. "Hell, I'm not even sure I want anyone else knowing, to be honest..."

"It's up to you, Tony," Gibbs told him.

Tony looked him in the eyes. "I don't like keeping secrets," he said almost too quietly to be heard. Then he turned to the rest of his friends. "This kinda makes me feel like...like a side show at a county fair. You guys ready to find out how much of a freak I am?"

"Tony, don't say that," Tim shook his head.

"Well, I kinda am, McGee."

"No you're not. You don't have an extra head or half a fish body. You have an ability no one else has. Well, no one we know of, anyway. That doesn't make you a freak. That makes you special..."

Tony half-smiled at his friend. "Tim, did you just call me special?"

"Just do it, Tony," McGee rolled his eyes.

"Fine, fine," he looked over at his friends. "Hey, Zee-vah," he caught her eyes. "Can you throw me your knife?"

"Of course," she replied after a moment. She reached in her pocket and stood to hand it to him.

"No. No, I want you to throw it to me," he told her again.

"I believe that would be dangerous, Ton-"

"Trust me," he told her.

She narrowed her eyes, and a bit of worry flashed over her face for a moment. But then she sat back down, positioned the knife so that she'd be tossing it instead of literally throwing, and she let it go. Abby gasped, afraid he might get cut as the blade quickly crossed the room. But then he held out his hand, and the knife stopped in mid-air, right in front of their eyes. Ziva no longer watched the knife, but looked to Tony's face as he concentrated on the object. She was filled with both wonder and fear at this ability. None of it seemed real.

Tim and Gibbs looked at their team mates as they watched. Abby's hands were covering her mouth as she watched, wide-eyed. Ducky hadn't seen Tony do this before. He'd not been told about this ability. Jimmy...well, he'd been silent since the talk had begun. Expressionless and attentive. Maybe in shock. But now he looked like a kid on Christmas morning.

"You're like Professor X," the doctor's assistant spoke, excitedly. "I mean...I mean of course he had a lot of other...p-powers, but...but this is so cool!"

Tony grabbed onto the knife, then handed it back to Ziva. He met her eyes for a long moment, unsure of how to translate the look in them. "You sure you'll be able to keep this from Breena, Jimmy?" he asked, turning to the younger man.

"I can totally keep a secret," Jimmy raised his brows. "I keep things to myself about work all the time. This shouldn't effect anything that would make me need to talk to her about it."

"And if you _do_ feel the need to talk about it," Ducky chimed in, "You can talk to me."

"Of course, Doctor," he agreed.

Tony looked to Abby, whose hands still covered her mouth as she stared up at him. Tony sank down to sit on the coffee table in front of her. "Abby? Are you uh...are you totally freaked out?" he asked as he reached to gently pull her hands away from her face. She shook her head. "Then why aren't you speaking to me?"

"Does it..." she started, but abandoned the sentence and started over. "Are you sure you're okay? Are you sure there's nothing wrong with you? That this...thing you can do isn't hurting you?"

"I'm fine," he smiled at her. "I promise."

She lunged forward and threw her arms around his neck, pulling him into another hug. "Your secret's safe with us," she told him.

"Thank you..."

TBC...

**A/N: Sorry it's a lil late. But I did make it longer than normal to make up for it ;). Hope everyone has a great NYE! Please be safe! Make sure you can get home safe, and keep an eye out because people are stupid, even when you're awesome. Drunk drivers suck. PLEASE BE CAREFUL! And I'll see ya next year ;)**


	13. Chapter 13

"Hey, DiNozzo! Good to see you back," Tony heard for the twelfth time that day.

"Thanks, man," he replied with a weak smile. "Nice to be back."

"Tough case, huh? Heard you were undercover."

"Yeah. Just got back from debriefing. Ready to get back to normal."

"Well that's cool. Just getting back from lunch?"

"Yeah. Coffee run, actually. Hey, I'll catch ya later, okay, Brad?"

"Alright. Good seein' ya!"

Tony nodded and turned to catch the elevator, grateful for the few moments he'd have alone. He let out a long sigh as the doors finally closed and the shaft took him to his floor. He had been feeling restless all day, even though he hadn't slept a wink the night before and he'd assumed he'd end up exhausted by this time of day. Getting coffee was really just an excuse to get away from behind his desk for a little while. He was itching for a case.

The doors slid open to reveal the rest of his team, Gibbs in front. "Grab your gear, Tony," he told him. "We've got a dead Marine."

"Oh!" Tony worked his way past his teammates. "Just...wait!"

"I've got it, Tony," McGee said, handing him his backpack.

"Why thank you, McHandy!" he said, slinging the bag over his shoulder and getting back into the elevator. "This is gonna be great. Are we excited? I'm excited," he said with a smile.

They all had small smiles they tried to hide. "Don't get excited yet," Gibbs replied.

*~.~*

"This is not what I thought we'd be doing," Tony grumbled as he sorted through yet another dumpster full of trash.

"Well, you are not doing it alone," Ziva replied as she sorted through the bin beside his.

"He just _had_ to run up this particular street on garbage day," McGee sighed as he pulled a blackened banana peel from a black trash bag beside the dumpster.

"I think that was the whole point," Tony said. "Buy himself some time."

"Perhaps he will get more time than we bargained for," Ziva said, motioning toward the garbage truck that was rounding the corner.

"Damn it," Tony cursed. "Ziva, see if you can stall it," he shouted. "McGee, we need to speed this up!" he started pulling bags from the can. "If we just knew which can it was in, this would be so much faster," he pursed his lips, frustratedly. He peered into the can, looking for anything that might resemble the gun they were trying to find.

Suddenly, everything became black and white. Literally. Every item in the bin was clear to him, as if they didn't overlap one another, and nothing was hidden by anything else. He could see all the way into the bottom where the logo was imprinted.

Tony pulled away from the can, and his vision returned to normal, but the surprise had knocked the breath out of him.

"Tony?" Tim asked, his face washed with concern.

Tony looked at him with wide eyes. "It's not in this one," he told him, then rushed to the next one, peering into it with the same intent as he had the last. Once he could see the bottom, he turned his head, intent on moving to the next can, but since he hadn't pulled himself out of the special filtered vision, he simply saw everything in the same fashion without moving from his place. He was overwhelmed for a moment, but quickly decided that he didn't have time to be.

The agent searched as if he were a neurosurgeon looking for an anomaly on an MRI. And then, there it was, shining. Glowing almost, like a beacon. And it wasn't even in a trash can. He let out a small laugh, which came out like a sob or a sigh of relief, and raised his hand to point toward the bushes beside a set of porch steps just a few apartments down. "It's there," he said.

McGee furrowed his brow for a moment, wondering what Tony was talking about, then simply went to where he was pointing.

"In the bushes," Tony told him.

Tim dug around and was stunned to find the weapon they'd been searching for. He pulled an evidence bag from his pocket and picked the gun up, looking over to Tony. "How...how did you see this?" he asked, walking back toward him as he secured the gun in the bag, stuffing it into his pocket.

Tony let out a small laugh, and suddenly he was listing to the side.

"Whoa!" Tim caught him and held him stead. "Tony, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Tony insisted.

"You're bleeding," Tim told him, worriedly, as he saw blood begin to trickle from his partner's nose. Tony looked at him in question, and McGee decidedly pulled a tissue from his pocket and swiped up the blood himself.

Tony took it from him and looked down at the red splotches on the white. "I've just got a headache is all," he told him. "I'm fine."

"I cannot get them to stop," Ziva said as she hurried back over to them. "What happened? Why are you bleeding?" she grew concerned at the sight of the blood.

"Well, we found the gun," Tim told him. "But I couldn't tell you exactly how that happened. Tony just...knew where it was. And now his head hurts and he's got a nose bleed."

"I told you I'm perfectly fine!" Tony said again. "My head doesn't even hurt anymore. Now...let's get this to Gibbs and get the hell outta here."

"But-"

"Look, I'll explain in the car, okay?" Tony insisted. "Please..."

McGee met his eyes and saw the slight fear in them that must have matched his own. "Okay," he agreed.

*~.~*

"X-ray vision, you say?" Ducky asked, intrigued by the newest discovery.

"Well...in a manner of speaking, I guess," Tony replied from where he sat on one of the cold tables as the doctor examined him. Gibbs stood near by as the conversation took place.

"Can you, eh...use it all the time?" the doctor asked.

"Like, see people's underwear?" Tony all but giggled. "I uh..." he glanced at Gibbs, "I don't really know how to control this one, yet. All I know is that I really wanted to find that gun, and when we saw the garbage truck come along, I thought we were running out of time. It was an emergency thing...like when I learned I could stop things in mid-air."

"And doing that hurt at first as well, correct?" Ducky asked.

"Yeah. Like brain-freeze," Tony answered. "Still does, a little, when I do it. This was different, though. This was like a ringing in my ears, almost. But a ringing in my head, if that makes any sense."

"Dare I say...I believe this might be a bit like that scene in the movie The Matrix," Ducky began. "You recall? When the first disconnect Neo from it, and he said that his eyes hurt?"

"Because he'd never really used them before," Tony replied.

"Precisely," the older man smiled. "I do believe your new-found abilities require use of a part of your brain not normally used by any human being. Like any muscle, it takes training in order to be used without pain. Of course, this is all in theory. We'd have to do a thorough scan in order to tell for certain, and I don't have the equipment for it." He met Tony's eyes again and noticed a smile on the man's face. "What?" the doctor questioned.

"I'm so proud of your movie reference, Ducky," he told him.

"Well," Ducky let out a small laugh, "When one has to find appropriate comparisons for super powers, I suppose old stories don't work quite as effectively."

"You think we should get him that scan, Duck?" Gibbs chimed in.

"I don't think he needs it at this point, Jethro," he replied. "Just perhaps a little less...experimentation on the job?" he raised a brow at the senior field agent.

"I swear it was an accident," he told him, looking back and forth between the two other men.

"So he's okay to work?"

"I don't see why not."

"Alright then. Back upstairs, DiNozzo," Gibbs told him. "We're in the middle of a case."

Gibbs headed out of autopsy as Tony hopped off of the table. "Thanks, Ducky," he told him as he hurried after Gibbs, sneaking into the elevator right before it closed. "Sorry, Boss. I didn't mean to hold up the case."

"Was me that was worried. Not you," Gibbs replied.

"I told you I was okay."

"Can't always believe that," he told him. "You have a tendency to hide it when something's wrong. Which I can respect. But for this? Tony, your health could be at risk and we don't know it. There's no telling what that stuff did to you. Not all of it. You want me to stop halting things in order to get you checked out? Then you need to tell me the truth. Every time. No matter what it feels like."

Tony looked at him for a long moment. "Okay, Boss. I can do that..."

TBC...


	14. Chapter 14

Gibbs came home to find Tony in the basement, concentrating hard on the container of random items on the work bench. He was silent as he descended into the lower level, watching to see if Tony noticed anything outside of what he was looking at.

The rest of their work day had been spent proving the guilt of the suspect they'd captured. Tomorrow would be filled with paper work and logistics. But the bad guy was caught and being processed, and that's what really mattered.

"What're ya doing?" Gibbs asked, softly, as he sat down at the table.

Tony jumped slightly, startled by the sudden, unexpected voice in the room. He'd looked up at Gibbs and then slammed his eyes closed, gasping at the odd sensation that swept over his head as he pulled himself out of what he'd been doing. "Damnit, Boss! Don't sneak up on me when I'm using that particular ability."

"Didn't know what you were doing," Gibbs reminded him. "Maybe we should get a sign. Like the 'on air' ones they use for radio."

"Funny. But seriously. If you hadn't been sitting down, I would've accidentally been able to tell you what brand of underwear you're wearing."

"Not a bad skill, I guess," Gibbs raised amused brows. "If it doesn't work out at NCIS, you'd probably make a good addition to the traveling carnival."

"I was thinking Barnum and Bailey would probably love to have me," Tony smirked, cracking open a testing eye. His hand went to his forehead and he rubbed at the ache beneath it. "But for real. I just saw the muscles in your face in black and white. It was kinda creepy. I might have nightmares. Not that your insides are any more or less disturbing than the next guy..."

"So you were testing out the x-ray thing?"

"Yeah. Thought I'd try and get myself used to it. At least to where it doesn't hurt. My nose isn't bleeding this time. But I kinda went all out earlier. Used too much at once."

"You'll get it, just like you did with the other thing."

"I promise I'm not gonna use this one mischievously, Boss," Tony looked him in the eye. Gibbs raised a questioning brow. "McGee thinks I'm gonna use it to see women's under-clothes. Like I'm twelve," he let out a small laugh. Gibbs gave him a knowing look, and the smile cleared from Tony's face. "It was just one time! I just wanted to see if I could control the layers of what I was seeing."

"How'd that work out?"

"I saw things I honestly never wanna see again," he confessed, a bit of crazed traumatization flitted across his face. Gibbs smiled and shook his head. "Anyway, it was purely scientific. I swear. And I also promise not to experiment on the job again. Nothing more embarrassing than getting a bloody nose out of no where in the middle of the office."

"So you're gonna do it in your off time?" Gibbs asked. "Ya think it's a good idea to be doing this stuff alone? It's possible that something worse than a nosebleed could happen with you doing these things."

"Guess you're right. And that's definitely a good point. When I got home today, I had a thought that maybe these abilities pop up when I need them most. Like...in an emergency or in the spur of the moment, they just suddenly happen. So I went out to the deck and climbed up on the railing and started balance-walking across it. When I started to fall, I was hoping I'd have some kind of flying ability suddenly make itself known."

"And did it?"

"I fell flat on my ass," Tony replied. "Also? No air-bag-like ability to shield myself from painful falls, come to find out."

"Good thing you didn't conduct that test from the roof."

"Very good thing. Though I've gotta say, it would've been so cool if I could fly."

"No reason for a human being to need to fly, Tony."

"Of course there is! Do you know how much I could save on airline tickets?"

*~.~*

**Ten days later...**

"I think it's a pretty good plan," Tony debated with McGee as they bagged and tagged in the open field where Fairfax PD discovered the body of a dead Naval officer six hours prior.

"Cheating at cards in Vegas is not a great plan," Tim argued.

"Of course it is. It's not ethical, but it's a good plan. I could win enough money to buy myself a batcave. I could even get an Alfred," he grinned.

"Tony..."

"Alright fine. You can be my Alfred."

"I don't wanna be your butler."

"Not just my butler, Timmy. The one person I confide in about my true identity."

"But I'm not the only person who knows."

"That's...well..." Tony made a strange grunting sound and McGee looked up from where he'd been writing something on the evidence bag.

"Hey," Tim tried to get Tony to look at him. But Tony's eyes had fallen closed where he was crouched in front of his partner on the ground, and he seemed like he might be in pain. "Tony?"

"Mm," he groaned, dropping the bag to the ground as he moved his hands toward his head. "My head...starting to uh..."

"You don't look so good," Tim said, concerned as Tony's face began to lose its color.

"I think..." Tony opened his eyes, searching to find Tim's as he began to panic. He knew what was about to happen, and it terrified him. "Get Gibbs," he squeaked out, before clamping his eyes shut again and gritting his teeth.

Tim shot up from where he'd been kneeling, and sought out their boss. Gibbs was on the far side of the field, talking to Ziva. From what it looked like, he was giving her some sort of instructions. And as Tim started toward them, he watched Ziva start walking toward the parking lot where the van was.

"Boss!" Tim yelled out. "Boss!" he started to run toward him. Their phones hadn't been getting much reception in that field, and he knew he'd have to get his attention the old fashioned way. Finally, Gibbs looked over, and seeing the look on the younger man's face, and glancing to Tony, whose face was now buried in his hands and leaning to the ground, he knew something was wrong.

Once he saw Gibbs making a dash toward them, Tim turned back around to get to Tony again. The senior field agent's cries of agony tore at something in the younger agent as he skidded down beside him, grabbing hold of Tony's arm and laying a supportive hand on his back. "Tony...Gibbs is coming. It's gonna be okay. Tony?"

"What happened?" Gibbs asked as he knelt down on Tony's other side, slightly winded from the mad dash and adrenaline.

"It's his head," Tim replied. "The headache...What do we do?"

"Don't think we can do anything," Gibbs replied, regretfully. "Just gotta wait it out."

"Ngh!" one of Tony's hands left his head and smacked down into the grass beneath him, and his fingertips dug into the ground as his body quaked from the strength of the pain and the overwhelming images that ran through his head. Gibbs made the ultimate decision to pull Tony's upper body until he was cradling his head against his chest, and Tony's free arm instead gripped onto the sleeve of Gibbs' jacket.

"C'mon, Tony," Gibbs coached. "Bring yourself out of it, if you can." Tony simply released a breath and sucked one right back in, red reddening at the effort of holding it. Tim stood and paced, feeling helpless. "You can do this. Come on," Gibbs continued.

"Guh!" Tony breathed out, and his breaths came quickly, as though he'd heard his boss, as was desperate to obey. But his body still quaked at the intense pain. "Ziva!" he shouted. "Ziva..."

Gibbs narrowed his eyes, then quickly glanced over across the field and into the parking lot toward the van. He'd sent her to fetch some more bags not too long ago. But all he saw, now, was the open trunk door, shaking slightly in the wind...

TBC...


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: Hey! So...unrelated to the story, I need y'all to do me a quick favor! If you're a fan of my author page on Facebook, and haven't seen a post from me in a while, that means the Facebook update has taken upon itself to remove me from your newsfeed. You'll have to manually go to my page and tell it to show. I'm not exactly sure how...But it'd be a good idea, since ANCON2013 plans are in the works! **

***~.~***

McGee looked to Gibbs, wide-eyed, and Gibbs met his eyes. But the man in his arms shouted out, "Go! I'll be fine, just go!" he managed to pull himself out of his boss's grasp.

Gibbs jumped up, McGee at his side, and they took off running toward the parking lot, guns drawn. Squealing tires drew their attention to the parking lot's exit, to see an unmarked black sedan peeling out and heading north. The agents took to a faster run, no longer aiming their weapons.

"What is it, Agent Gibbs?" one of the police officers shouted after him as the few around them began to follow.

Gibbs didn't have an answer for him yet. When they reached the back of the van, they found Ziva's hat on the ground and her service weapon, second gun and knife sitting in the open back of the vehicle. When Gibbs bent down to pick up the hat, he found her cell phone, too.

"Boss?" Tim was out of breath from the run. "Who...who took Ziva? Who would wanna take her?"

Gibbs shook his head, looking out to where they'd last seen the car before it was out of sight. He swiped a hand down his face, unprepared for this to have happened; not knowing why or who would have taken her. And for that matter, how. Ziva didn't just get _taken_.

"Agent Gibbs, what's going on?" the officer asked once catching up to them.

"Someone took my agent," he said, then turned to him. "Who was in the black sedan?"

"Black sedan?" he glanced around at his fellow officers, going over a list in his head. "No one here came in anything like that. And none of my men are missing."

"You're telling me no one saw this car sitting in the lot?" Gibbs asked, frustratedly.

"We thought it might be one of yours..."

"Are there cameras anywhere?" Gibbs glanced around, up for streetlights or anything that might have a street cam.

"Nothing like that. And I only know that because it's the first thing we looked for when we got to the scene."

"What about north of here? That street they left on?" he pointed in the direction they'd last seen the car.

"I...I'll have to get someone to check-"

"I've got it, Boss," McGee said from where he'd been busily working on his phone. "There's a street cam map for Fairfax. I'm gonna call Abby and see if she can pull something up."

Gibbs nodded. "Tell her to call me as soon as she finds _anything,_" he replied. "I'm gonna go get Tony. Hey," Gibbs caught the attention of the officer, "Our M.E is on his way to pick up the body. You and your men stay here until we get another team from NCIS to take over this case."

"Of course, Sir," he replied. "And uh...any-anything we can do to help find your missing agent..."

"I want a list of any missing persons or kidnappings that have happened in this area within the last six months. Send it ASAP to our forensics expert," he ordered as he began walking back to Tony.

"I'll get right on that, Agent Gibbs!" he shouted after him, and fished out his phone to make the call.

Gibbs quickened his pace when he realized that Tony hadn't gotten back up yet. In fact, now he was on his side, curled up in the fetal position, his arms wrapped around his head protectively. Gibbs holstered his gun, not having realized before that moment that it was still out, and quickly reached the agent, stooping back down beside him.

"Hey, DiNozzo," he spoke quietly, and put his hands on Tony's arms, trying to get a look at him. "You still seein' stuff?"

"Mm...no," he replied, rocking slightly where he lay. "H'rts... Still hurts. God..."

"Lemme see your eyes, Tony," Gibbs insisted.

"Sun...the light hurts..."

"Let's get you out of it, then," he slowly helped pull him up, nearly carrying the younger man to the trunk of a tree, where there was adequate shade. "Alright," he helped him to sit with his back against the tree. "Now come on," he gently pulled his hands away from his face. "Can you open your eyes?"

Slowly, Tony cracked open his eyes, the pain still etched in his face, clearly. "Guh..." Tony breathed through the nauseating throbbing pain behind his eyes. Gibbs grimaced at the hemorrhaging in Tony's eyes. He'd expected to see it, but this seemed much worse than before. And he hadn't had the pain linger for this long after, in the past. On the other hand, he hadn't had a vision in a long time, and it'd only happened twice before. "I...I'm gonna..." Tony compulsively swallowed, and Gibbs saw him just about turn green and knew what was about to happen.

He helped him to lean over to the side without falling, so Tony could expel the meager contents of his stomach, into the dirt below. When he was finished, Gibbs helped Tony back upright, and led his head to lean back against the tree. "Just breathe, Tony," he instructed, softly. Tony complied, eyes closed, and took structured breaths through his nose.

Slowly, the lines of pain in his face began to fade. He took a deeper breath and opened his eyes again, meeting Gibbs'. The hemorrhaging was shrinking to nothing, right as Gibbs watched. "I think I'm okay, now," he told him. "Pain's going away." He blinked a few times, then suddenly widened his eyes. "Ziva!" he moved to get up. "Boss, Ziva's in trouble..."

"I know," Gibbs told him. "We were too late."

"But they've got her!" he yelled. "They're gonna hurt her, Boss. We have to find her!"

"We're working on that. Just take it easy, okay?"

"I'm fine! But Ziva's not gonna be!" he argued. "He's got her."

"Who? Tony, you know who has Ziva?"

"It's him, Boss," his voice quieted. "It's the guy...The one McGee's been trying to find..."

TBC...


	16. Chapter 16

It was quickly nearing midnight, and everyone was back at NCIS trying their damndest to figure out where Ziva was being held. Tony had spent a portion of the day, yet again, with Ducky. But this time they were up in the bullpen, where Gibbs demanded he stay and try to get his head on straight. Never mind that it had been the better part of an entire day that he'd been forced to stay there.

Sure he'd been freaking out. Ziva was in the clutches of a mad man with super powers. There wasn't a reason he _shouldn't_ be freaking out. The others didn't know. They didn't see what he was going to do to her. What he might have already done...

Tony released a frustrated shout and pushed away from his desk, causing Gibbs to look up from something McGee had been showing him on his tablet. "We should be out there, looking!" Tony shouted.

"Looking where, DiNozzo?" Gibbs returned, as frustrated.

"Anywhere!" he retorted. "She's out there, and we're in here doing nothing!"

"We're tracking the street cam footage as best we can," Gibbs told him. "You know that."

"And yet here we are, no closer than we were hours ago!"

"What do you suggest we do?" Gibbs asked, getting up in the younger agent's face. "Wanna go door to door? Because I can't see how that'd be any faster than the nothing we have to go on!"

"You don't understand..." Tony shook his head as he spoke with less venom and more emotion. "You don't know what they're doing to her, Boss..." he backed away.

"You need to think, Tony," Gibbs followed him, leading him to sit back down. "You need to think about what you saw, and see if you can remember anything..._anything_ that could help us find where she is."

Tony wiped his hands over her face and up into his hair, slouching forward so that his elbows were on the desk and he could support his head in his hands. "Why can't I find her like I found the gun?" he asked himself, more than anyone else that might be listening. "This is more of an urgent gut sinking feeling than any of the other stuff. So why?"

"I can't answer that," Gibbs told him. "But if we're gonna find her, it's either my way, or yours."

Tony nodded, then let out a long breath. "I'm sorry, Boss. I...I'm just so damn...frustrated and tired. So damn tired since the vision..."

"You need to sleep."

"I can't. Not while she's out there..."

"You can't help her when you're dead on your feet. Just let yourself recharge, Tony. Hell, maybe that's exactly what you need." Tony looked up and met his eyes, taking in the statement as it needed to be. He gave in and nodded. Gibbs watched as he pulled a travel pillow from a drawer in his desk and pushed his chair out of the way so that he could curl up where it usually sat...

*~.~*

"I've been able to follow the car for about three miles," Abby told Gibbs once again, as McGee had already brought those findings to him. "But the car doesn't show up on any other cams outside that range. Not anywhere, Gibbs. And I checked it out; there's no sign this car came in from anywhere, either. It's like...the car materialized out of thin air, snatched Ziva, drove a few miles out and vanished in thin air."

"This is like some kinda sci-fi movie," McGee said. "And a bad one."

"I dunno," Abby commented, "It's a little like Back to the Future, maybe. Except Doc wasn't an evil super villain and Marty definitely couldn't move things with his mind."

"Can we get back on track, here?" Gibbs interrupted.

"Sorry, Gibbs," Abby sighed. "It's just...I don't have anything more for you, and I'm not sure what to do, and I'm kinda freaking out because Ziva's gone and she's depending on us to figure out where she is, and I don't have anything, and-"

"Okay, Abs," he grabbed her arms to stop her rambling that had grown nearly tearful.

"I'm sorry..."

"I know," he kissed her head.

"What're we gonna do, Gibbs? Ziva's out there all alone. And if this guy was good enough to grab her, who knows what he could do to her?"

"Thinking about that," he told her, "Isn't gonna help us find her any faster."

"I know that," she replied. "I just hate when, with everything I know and everything we can do as a team, we're at a dead end. And right when it's about someone so close to us..."

"Yeah. But you're forgetting about the new stuff our team can do," he raised a brow. It took her a moment to catch on, but her eyes widened when she did. "It's up to him, now. Unless we find new information. But you keep doing what you can, Abs. We'll find her..."

*~.~*

_Darkness. The same dream Tony always had. It was always dark, even though his eyes had adjusted to it. It was always that same room._

_ But something started to change, surprising him in the process. A glow started to the right of him. Soft and yellow. It made him turn his head in that direction. _

_ Now that he thought about it, he'd never really been able to turn his head. It was always as if he were paralyzed in that one direction. But now that he was able to see, the hallway-like room he'd __always been looking down had an open doorway into a much bigger room. It was lit up poorly by a bulb hanging down in the middle. Beneath it was a structure, resembling a piece of modern art almost. It was some kind of metal; cold steel perhaps. A circle, though he could only see it from the side, he concluded. And it was like a huge shallow bowl, adorned with some kind of pattern he couldn't see well enough to describe. _

_ Not of his own volition, he began to enter that room, twisting off to the side and rounding it so that he ended up facing the open end of the bowl-like structure. The overhead light shined in such a way that shadowed the inside of the bowl, but Tony could tell there was something there. He could hear something._

_ His hand reached up toward the cord that held the light bulb and pulled it forward, casting its glow where he needed it. It took a moment to absorb what he was seeing. The bowl was adorned with pipes of metal and restraining devices. And held within them was a woman so beaten and battered, he barely recognized her..._

_"Ziva..." _

_ "Tell me who it is!" a voice came from somewhere in room he couldn't see._

_ "Never," Ziva weakly replied. "I'll never tell you."_

_ "You'll tell me, or you will die," the voice replied._

_ "Then you will have to kill me."_

_ "No, Ziva," Tony replied. "Don't you dare..."_

_ "It's up to you," she said, suddenly looking directly at Tony. He narrowed his eyes, then felt compelled to look around the room..._

Gibbs had come back up to the bullpen, chiding himself for being constantly worried about Tony. He'd sent Ducky home hours ago, though the older man had wanted to stay, just in case. But Tony didn't seem to need medical attention once the headache cleared up. Still, it scared Gibbs somewhere deep inside of him, to see him go through that kind of pain. Even if it didn't mean harm would stick around. Although in all honesty, they didn't know what or if it was doing something to him.

Gibbs approached Tony's desk, then circled around it and looked down at the agent. He was still, but anything but peaceful. His color had drained and his face was covered in a thin layer of sweat. If the senior agent didn't know better, he'd say Tony wasn't breathing.

He stooped down and placed a firm hand on Tony's shoulder, shaking him a little to try and pull him back to consciousness, as this couldn't possibly be helping with rest. And to his surprise, Tony's eyes shot open as if he'd not even been asleep at all.

"Tony?" he asked, narrowing his eyes as the man met his. "You okay?"

"I know where she is..."

TBC...


	17. Chapter 17

The three agents were busy preparing to head out, waiting on Tony to reveal where they'd need to go. Tony looked over at McGee who was securing his gun at his side, making sure everything was in working order. He looked to Gibbs who was putting on his jacket rather quickly, ready to get on the road.

This is when Tony realized something. "I have to go alone," he told them. They froze and looked up at him.

"What?" McGee asked.

"This is too dangerous," he said.

"Which is why we all go," Gibbs told him.

"I can't protect you from this guy, Boss," Tony shook his head. "I don't even know what he's capable of."

"What makes you think it's any safer for you to go?" Gibbs retorted.

"I..." his eyes flitted around in thought for a moment. "I'm not sure. But I think I'm...supposed to."

"Not good enough," Gibbs said, approaching him. "We all go. And we'll be cautious," he glanced to McGee, then back to Tony. "And you take the lead," he told the senior field agent. "If this guy is who he says he is, you might be able to catch him off guard."

"That's right," McGee chimed in. "He doesn't know what you can do. You'll have an advantage over him."

"Not if he can shoot lasers out of his eyes or something," Tony replied.

"I prefer bullets, myself," Gibbs raised his brows. "And the three of us have those."

Tony let out a breath of resignation. "Fine. But I still don't like that we don't know how he got Ziva. That's not an easy thing for someone to do."

"He could've drugged her," McGee said. "Would've taken just seconds, if he was able to sneak up on her. And if it really is him, he can move fast. Faster than Ziva could've accounted for."

"If he can get past Ziva, how are we gonna do this?" Tony queried.

"I...might actually have something that can help," McGee told him. "But we'll need to make a pit stop."

"Pit stop where, McGee? We're kind of on a time limit, here," Gibbs reminded him.

"Camper..."

*~.~*

The only reason Tony didn't blow a gasket over taking the time to drive out toward Norfolk, was because he knew where Ziva was, and that was basically within the same area. From the outside, it looked like someone had set up as a squatter. McGee had cleverly camouflaged the thing to look like someone was living in it. From the outside, anyway. Inside was an entirely different matter.

"This looks like something out of The X Files," Tony remarked as he looked at the array of computer systems that lined the inside of it. "Nothing's gonna reach out and grab me and force me to upload my consciousness into the machine, is it?"

"That's actually what I based the design off of, amusingly enough," Tim replied with a smirk. "It gave me the idea for the setup. But no, we're perfectly safe in here. There's also a security system that would alert me if anyone so much as stepped over the property line."

"Cool," he glanced around, almost bumping into Gibbs. "So...what are we here for again?"

"Actually, it's downstairs," Tim told him.

Gibbs and Tony both looked at McGee in question. "Downstairs?" Gibbs asked. "This is a camper, McGee. Generally speaking, there's never a downstairs."

"That's what you're supposed to think. About this place, anyway," Tim told him. Then he reached over to the keyboard that sat in front of the main computer and typed in a few things. Tony jumped, startled, when a hissing sounded behind him. The two older agents turned around to see a hidden hatch open up in the floor. After it fully opened, lights began to flicker and then come on to light up the ladder that led down the hatch.

"This is...so unbelievably creepy, McGee," Tony said as he peered down the hole. "What if there's rats? How long has it been since you've been here? There could be anything down there."

"It's a clean room," Tim told him, brushing past the two of them. "Nothing gets in without a code."

"Okay well...if it's all the same, you go first."

McGee smirked, then started down the ladder. "Nothing to be scared of, Tony."

"I'm not scared. I just don't want crawly things on me. Or bears. There are bears in these woods, ya know."

"Just get in the hole, DiNozzo," Gibbs ordered.

"Yes, Boss..."

Once they were all on the lower level, McGee reached over to flip a large power lever to the on position. In sequence, the overhead lights blinked on in rows, revealing a room as big as half a football field, all laid out with tables and machinery and equipment the other agents were unfamiliar with.

"Geez, McGee," Tony commented, in awe. "Where the hell did you get the dough to fund this?"

"At first, loans," McGee told him. "That was for the camper and getting this built. A few things for a couple of projects I wanted to start. The rest, though, was from the book."

"You were still doing stuff when you published the book?"

"Sort of. It's...complicated. I'd sometimes get an idea and wouldn't be able to sit still until I could get up here and get it started. I can't tell you how many times I got to work running solely on coffee and energy drinks to keep me going."

"That doesn't happen again," Gibbs chimed in, brows raised in seriousness. "You could've put yourself in danger, working under those conditions."

"I would've called in if I felt I couldn't do my job, Boss."

"Next time, you tell me. I don't care if you feel up to it or not. Understood?"

"Yes, Boss," Tim ducked his head a little.

After a moment of awkward silence, Tony piped up, "So why are we here, again?"

"Oh, right..." McGee headed over to one of the work tables. The other agents followed behind.

"What is all this stuff, anyway?" Tony asked.

"Mostly junk," McGee replied. "Failed attempts at creating something I had thought up in my head, then abandoned when I figured out it might not work the way I'd planned. But some of these are prototypes. Inventions...for the sole purpose of fighting or protecting myself if and when I ever came in contact with him again."

"So like...Agent Q's lab," Tony looked around again. "That'd make you Agent Q, McGoo," Tony smiled. "Does that make me double-o seven?"

"I think you'd need a better car, first."

"Do you have one in here somewhere that can shoot lasers or cannons or leave road tacks?"

"I...do not," McGee replied. "But I have this," he stopped in front of one of the tables and picked up an odd piece of equipment.

"What's that do?" Tony made a face.

"You wear it on your wrist," Tim explained, as the agents were on either side of him. "This is one of the first things I started on. In theory, it should be able to tell you where Suspect- err...the guy. Sorry. Being here with other actual people has never happened before."

*I'll try not to take offense to that, * a computer voice sounded in the room, causing the older two agents to look around a bit startled.

"Oh yeah," McGee shrugged. "Camper is hooked up over the comm, and voice activated. Should've warned you."

"At least it's a male voice, or I'd have had some really weird Portal-related anxieties about being in here," Tony said.

"Sorry again..."

"You were saying?" Gibbs urged, ready to get out of there.

"Oh right. This should tell you where, let's just call him Mr. S, for the sake of not knowing what else to call him, is at any given point. His inhuman speed makes it impossible for us to see him. But with this," he pressed a button on the device, "You can pinpoint the location of a specific object, in a speed the human brain is capable of keeping up with. Kind of like how the iPhone 5 can hear outside noise and cancel it out so it doesn't mess up a call. Except this is kind of reverse... And the location shows up on the screen, like a GPS, but much faster."

"Well then I hope you didn't actually use an iPhone 5, because who knows where we'll end up," Tony quipped.

"Considering it's been a couple of years, no," Tim replied with an amused smirk. "I actually swapped out the insides of an old phone and replaced it with a processor that could handle the speed, and a battery that would work on solar power if necessary. You wanna see a demonstration?"

"How could you do that?" Gibbs asked.

"Over here," Tim walked to another side of the room and flipped another switch, lighting up what was clearly some kind of shooting range type room behind bullet proof glass. "Let me see your gun, Tony," he requested. Tony narrowed his eyes, then pulled his weapon from its holster and handed it over. He took out the clip and pulled the top bullet from it. "This bullet," he held up, "Is what we'll lock on to." He held the bullet up and aimed the device, pressing a button and causing a green array of lasers to scan the small object. Once it stopped, Tim plugged the bullet back into the clip and reloaded it into the gun, cocking it to put the bullet in the chamber.

"What're you gonna do?" Tony asked.

"Just watch," he opened the door to the room and put Tony's gun into a robot-arm of some sort, securing it and pressing a few buttons on the side of the thing. Gibbs and Tony shared a glance before the youngest came back out and shut the door. "Now, I'm gonna have you both look over my shoulder at the screen so you can see what I'm talking about. Can you press that button on the wall, Boss?"

"This one?" Gibbs pointed to the green button beside the glass window.

"Yeah."

Gibbs pressed the button, and within three seconds, Tony's gun went off, sending the bullet on a chaotic mission bouncing repeatedly off the walls in the room. The three of them watched the screen intently, seeing a lighted red dot trace the path of the bullet.

"How is that slowing anything down?" Tony asked, incredulously.

"I know it's hard to tell," Tim told him. "But wait... When it gets to the middle of the screen, I'm gonna release a target trap in the room."

Both Tony and Gibbs weren't exactly sure what that meant, but they watch for when the light hit the middle, and then Tim hit the blue button on the wall in front of them, creating a loud snapping sound. He had a grin on his face as he looked into the room, and the older agents looked in as well, seeing the foam circle that had popped out and caught the bullet mid-air, effectively stopping it.

"It gives you a three second leeway," Tim smiled, looking back and forth between the two of them.

Tony looked at Tim with slightly wild eyes. "Why are you working for NCIS, McGee?" he asked. "You could be... I don't even know what you could be, but it'd sure as hell pay a lot better."

Tim shrugged, "I like my job. And I like the people I work with." With that, he went back into the room to retrieve Tony's gun.

TBC...

**AN: Stopping here because I have a kinda huge scene to play out next chapter, and it deserves its own. Might be able to have it done by tomorrow.**


	18. Chapter 18

"Are we good to go, with this plan?" Tony asked them both again, as they stood outside the building they were about to raid.

"You stop him long enough for us to grab Ziva," McGee repeated back. "Yeah."

"What about after that?" Gibbs asked. "How are you getting out of here?"

"I should be able to lock him in his own device. At which point I'll call Fornell and tell him there's a murderer the FBI's been looking for for a long time, trapped in a warehouse in Norfolk," he smirked. "Then I'll call you when I know I'm clear."

"Are you sure that thing will hold him?" Gibbs asked.

"Looked pretty secure to me," he replied. "Don't see any other options here, Boss. This is our best bet. And if that doesn't work, I have a gun."

"Ambulance is on its way, and knows to approach and park silent, Boss," Tim said.

"Good," he took a breath. "Alright, let's do this."

The three lined up at the door, Tony taking the lead as they went in. Guns drawn, they made their way down the hallway toward the light that poured in from another door leading off of it, just like in Tony's dream. Tony made the signal for them to wait, and he peeked in the doorway.

He didn't expect what he saw. What he'd expected was what he'd seen in his dream, just like this hallway had been. Instead, the room held no such structure in the middle of it. A cold metal table, much like the ones in the morgue, sat where the strange statue had been, and Ziva was secured on it. But she didn't look battered and beaten. Just asleep.

"Tony?" Gibbs whispered.

"Something's not right," Tony replied. "This is different."

"Do you see Ziva?"

"Yes. But..."

"Let us go in," he told him. "If it's a trap for you, he'll come out for us. Then you have him."

"You could be hurt."

"This is all we got, DiNozzo. We take it or leave Ziva. I'm not willing to do that. Are you?"

Tony shook his head. Gibbs nodded and stepped around Tony, gun drawn ahead of him as he cautiously entered the room. McGee followed behind him. Tony waited, praying no harm would come to his teammates. After he heard them lift Ziva from the table, he turned to look into the room, then slowly entered, aiming his gun as he searched every inch of the large room.

"I knew you'd come," a voice said, though none of the agents could tell its origin. "I knew if I planted it in your head, you'd come."

A chill ran up Tony's spine. "Get out of here," he pleaded with his boss and McGee.

"Tony-"

"Get out! Now!"

"You'd be wise to do as he asks, Agent Gibbs," the voice replied. "Agent David doesn't have much time left. She's been given a toxin and needs a hospital, or she'll be dead within the hour."

"It's me you want," Tony yelled out. "Let them be."

"Yes, yes, of course it's you I want. I wasn't sure which of you it was, at first. I just felt the connection, and I felt it stronger when I was near by. Just had to be sure. No need to expose anyone else to my identity. Senseless death...well, I gave that act up long ago."

"Then why did you need to find me," Tony asked.

"All in good time. Need I remind you that your beautiful female partner is in grave danger?"

"Boss, just please...please just get her to the hospital. I'll be okay."

"I don't know that," Gibbs narrowed his eyes.

"Please just go!" his eyes conveyed a begging Gibbs had never seen from the man before. "Please..."

Gibbs didn't want to leave him there alone, without someone on his six. But it seemed they had no choice. "Be careful," he whispered, knowing the phrase held little meaning when their attacker couldn't even be seen. And when Tony nodded, Gibbs headed toward the door, carrying Ziva, and followed by a hesitant McGee. The youngest agent looked almost near tears leaving Tony there alone. But he left with him as Tony asked.

"What do you want with me?" Tony asked, once they were gone.

"A guy can't want to meet his illegitimate creation?"

"Creation?" Tony laughed. "Is that what I am?"

"Now now," the man appeared from no where, walking toward Tony. "Just because it was an accident..."

"You hold no claim over me," Tony snarled.

"Such attitude," he raised a brow. "What ever will I do with you?" he sighed and started to slowly pace away. Tony took the opportunity to let McGee's device scan him. "No need to have such harsh feelings toward me. It wasn't something I'd planned, after all."

"No. But you did plan taking my partner and giving her a toxin that could kill her."

"Oh nonsense. She's simply sedated," he scoffed and turned back to Tony. "Now, do you prefer I call you Tony?"

"You know my name. But I don't know yours."

"You may call me Gideon," he replied. "And you may call me your friend. Your new team, if you wish."

"And why on Earth would I do that?" Tony laughed.

"Because," Gideon stepped closer, "I allow no one to know who I am. And when I do, their choice is either to join me, or to die."

Something flashed in Tony's eyes. "That's why you didn't show yourself until they left," he surmised.

"A mere courtesy to you, Tony," he told him. "I only ever wanted you to join me. I had to take your partner in order to find out which of you was exposed to my compound."

"But why? The compound was a mistake; a flop! You were sending it to be disposed of!"

"You figured all that out on your own? Very clever. Yes, I was sending it to be destroyed. All subjects before you perished. But you...you survived. And I want to know what it did to your DNA. I want to know if it changed you."

"Why? For what purpose? What's your end goal in all of this?"

"What is any man's purpose? To not be alone. I am, in fact, alone in this world. Like you, a product of someone's carelessness, and disposed of like garbage. They don't even know about me. Did you know that?"

"Who? Who did this to you?"

Gideon got a far away look, and was silent for a long moment. "I don't even remember anymore. An...unfortunate side effect of what I am. My memories...they leave after some time. I don't even remember if I ever had a family. If I had friends at some point in my lifetime. I don't remember being a young boy. I don't remember...love." Gideon became quiet, having turned away from Tony during his explanation. "Do you know what it's like, Tony?" he whispered. "Do you know what this does to a man, to no longer know who he is?"

"No. I don't."

"All I ever wanted was to find a way to regain those memories. My entire existence has revolved around medical and chemical research. I would trade everything...I would trade this...powers that I never asked for, just for some semblance of being normal...being a person. The one thing that does always remain...the one thought I do carry around with me, are all the things I've done. Everything I've done to get what I needed. The horrible things I've done; that I'm capable of." He looked ahead of him with a tortured look in his eyes. "Whatever I once was, all that I am now is a monster." He turned to look at Tony. "I don't want to me a monster."

"You don't have to be," Tony replied.

"It's all I know, now!" he yelled. "No one has ever looked for me! No one has ever cared! The only people that have spoken to me, for as long as I can remember, have been coerced to do so!" The muscles in his face twitched with the severity of his emotions. And as he studied Tony's expression, his brows furrowed. There was a look in the younger man's eyes that he couldn't remember ever having seen before. But he knew what it was. And something softened within him, causing a feeling he'd not felt in as long as he could remember. A feeling that he'd hoped for, when he'd begun his search for the man.

He let out a small laugh, and his eyes teared up ever so slightly. "Sympathy for the devil, eh?" he said, voice cracking. "That's...I suppose the word is 'touching'."

"You don't have to live like this," Tony told him. "I can help you."

"_You_ can help me?" he laughed again. "The only way you can help me, is either to join me or to kill me and end my suffering."

"I don't wanna kill you," he replied. "I thought I did, when you put those images in my head. What I'd been led to believe you'd done to my friend..."

"The beautiful girl you call your partner."

"She's my family. She's like a little sister. One that arguably can kick my ass without even trying," he half-smiled. "But my point is...I don't wanna kill you, now. I don't think you're a monster. I think you're just...lost. And you have been for a long time. You've not only lost your way, but you've lost yourself. You should come with me, Gideon. Me...my team...we could help you."

"You _can_ help me," he smiled, tearfully. "But not like that." Gideon reached out and grabbed hold of Tony's arm, raising it so that his gun was pointed at Gideon's chest.

"No," Tony pulled away.

"Yes!" Gideon roared. "You have no idea the things I've done! No idea! The people I...I have murdered in my lifetime, without even a moment's hesitation!" he reached out for Tony again, but Tony used his ability and forced Gideon's hand away with the invisible force. A moment of confusion struck Gideon, but then his eyes widened in clarity. "So it did change you."

"And I'm not a monster, Gideon."

"But you will be," he told him, brokenly, then raised his own weapon.

"Gideon, no!" Tony held up a hand, trying to knock the weapon away, to no avail.

"I've compensated for your strength, Tony," he revealed. "You have no idea how long I've had to sharpen mine."

"Please listen to me," Tony slowly back away from the man.

"You have to kill me, Tony. Just as I have to do the same for you."

"Gideon-"

"Trust me. This is the only way."

"It's not he only way!"

"I'm sorry. This is for your own good," he replied...

*~.~*

Gibbs and McGee had sent Ziva off in the ambulance, and were now awaiting their next move. They stood ready outside the warehouse door, waiting for some signal from Tony. The agents glanced worriedly at one another, unsure of how to proceed.

"Maybe we can go back in, and he wouldn't know?" McGee whispered.

Gibbs' response was cut off by the sound of three gun shots, a pause, and then one more...

Gibbs tore into the building without a second thought, Tim hot on his tail. "Tony!" Gibbs hollered out as they approached.

"Boss..." Tony called back in a struggled voice. "You're...clear..."

Gibbs peeked into the doorway, spotting the fallen suspect, eyes wide and unseeing toward the ceiling, a bullet hole between the eyes. Then he turned in search of Tony, and actually had to come into the room to find him. What alerted him to where he was, was the sound of labored, struggled breathing. And once he turned his head and saw the agent, something tore deep inside of him.

"Tony!" McGee panicked at the blood gushing from his friend torso. He's been hit three times and didn't seem capable of attempting to stop any of the bleeding. The youngest agent was frozen where he stood, watching their lead agent barely holster his weapon as he went to him, kneeling down and pulling Tony almost into his lap.

"Call an ambulance!" Gibbs shouted to Tim, then turned back to his fallen agent, tearing off his own jacket and pressing it into Tony's abdomen. "It's gonna be okay, DiNozzo," he told him, cradling the upper half of the battered man.

Tony half coughed, half groaned, looking up at Gibbs as he struggled through the pain. "'m sorry...sorry, Boss... I didn't...I..."

"It's okay. It's alright, Tony. This isn't your fault. Shouldn't have left you alone."

"I...told you to go," Tony reminded him. "Not...your fault...either..."

"We're gonna get you outta here. You're gonna be okay," he told him again, unsure if he was trying to convince Tony or himself more.

"Boss?" Tony's eyes filled with tears. "I...I can't...move," his breath came quicker and with more fear than he could ever remember having. And Gibbs didn't know what to say to make that go away. But he pulled the jacket away to look at the wounds again, realizing that one of them likely his his spine. And the warm wet feeling on the tops of his thighs meant there were exit wounds, and Tony was bleeding out in front of him...

TBC...

**AN: Don't panic! More soon...ish.**


	19. Chapter 19

**AN: Very VERY short chapter...because I didn't wanna leave ya hangin' for too long lol. More to come...**

***~.~***

"McGee! The bus?" Gibbs shouted, panicked as he looked over at the younger agent.

"Boss, the bus hasn't even gotten Ziva to the hospital yet," he told him, panicking as well. "It'll be at least twenty minutes," his voice cracked.

"He won't make it in twenty minutes!"

"What do we do?" Tim stripped his jacket and balled it up like Gibbs had, coming over to assist them.

"We're gonna have to get him there, ourselves," Gibbs replied, taking Tim's jacket and pressing it up under Tony's back, where the exit wounds still gushed. "Gotta get him to the car, so go get it up here," he tossed the agent his keys, and Tim tore out of there to get to the car as fast as he could.

"Y-you know...that won't do...any good," Tony said, breath coming is gasps as he looked up at his boss.

"Don't talk like that."

"C'mon," Tony laughed, despite the situation, "Look at me. Half...my blood is...on the wrong side...of my body. Pretty plain...to see."

"You haven't been given permission to give up," Gibbs told him. Tony tried to laugh again, and it turned into a weak cough the brought blood up with it. The smile remained, though bloody. And then, suddenly the smile dropped from his face, along with all the color, and a growling scream roared out of him from somewhere deep inside. "Tony!" Gibbs held the jacket tighter against him, gripping his hold on Tony's head which keened back with his pain.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he registered the screeching of tires outside, and it was immediately dismissed at the grotesque cracking sound that emitted from Tony's body, like bone breaking. Tony screamed in unison with it, and Gibbs cringed, swallowing against the bile that rose in the back of his throat.

"Car's ready, Boss!" McGee said as he ran into the room, stopping short at Tony's agonized screams.

"Let's move," Gibbs was surprised he was able to speak, and he made to get up, but was stopped by a hand suddenly squeezing his arm.

"Wait..." Tony squeaked out. "Just...wait..."

It took a moment for the puzzle to start piecing together in Gibbs' mind. But the realization that before this moment, Tony had been unable to move anything but his head, triggered the understanding that Tony's body might actually be in the process of healing itself, much like it had with the burns...

The next wave of agony washed over Tony and sent him upright and turning in to Gibbs' chest, clawing at the older man's shirt as he tried to ride it out, and Gibbs let him as he held onto him for dear life. McGee was in a state of complete panic, dropping to his knees at Tony's back.

"Boss? What... Why aren't we..."

"I think he's...healing," Gibbs told him, for lack of better explanation, realizing that the younger agent hadn't seen this process in the past. And for all intents and purposes, none of them had put together that this would be an ability that would transfer over after the original event.

"But..." Tim put a hand high on Tony's back, "What's happening? What do we do?"

"Can't do anything but wait it out, I think," Gibbs told him, much like when the big headache had hit unexpectedly.

Tim swallowed, then noticed that the blood flow had stopped where it had earlier been gushing from the exit wounds. With a shaky hand, he lifted Tony's bloodied shirt and watched the grotesque wounds begin to close up, as his friend's body shook violently from the intense pain.

Another few moments of labored breathing, and Tony suddenly went completely limp in Gibbs' arms. Gibbs turned him a bit, to look at his face.

"What happened? Is he..."

"Think he just passed out," Gibbs reassured him.

"So...he's gonna be okay?" Tim asked with hopeful eyes.

"He's breathin'," Gibbs told him, then snaked fingers to the agent's neck. "Pulse is strong."

Tim let out a breath, relieved, eyes searching the air as he processed. But then he looked across the room to where Gideon had fallen. His eyes widened. "Boss..." he touched Gibbs' arm and the older man looked at him, then over across the room where Tim was looking. Gideon was gone...

TBC...


	20. Chapter 20

**AN: Sorry so late. Busy busy week! **

***~.~***

Gibbs had opted for a hotel, a four hour drive home feeling like too much to handle right now. That, and Ziva was in the local hospital. Too much was happening. There was too much to have to explain, when time came around that they'd need to report to Vance. The story would best be served that Ziva managed to escape, and the suspect had disappeared.

Tony was still unconscious. They'd gotten him to the car, and then into the hotel room and into bed, without him so much as stirring. They'd even managed to change him into a clean shirt, before tucking him into one of the two doubles in the room.

McGee was so wired up from the night, that he couldn't even fathom sleeping yet. And he consistent glances at Gibbs' shirt made the senior agent aware that he was soaked to the skin in Tony's drying blood. With the doors locked, and Tim wide awake and alert, Gibbs ducked into the bathroom with his go-bag to grab a shower.

They'd called to check and see how Ziva was doing, and they told them she'd only been found with sedatives in her system, and that she'd be fine. They wanted to keep her for observation overnight. Gibbs had Tim email the director with an update on why they were spending the night in Norfolk, and that they would call in the morning; no need to send a search party. Anything else could be explained the next day. For right now, they needed to unwind, if possible.

Gibbs stood under the hot spray in the shower, his hands planted against the ugly blue tile wall as he watched the bloody water circle the drain. He closed his eyes, trying to will his mind to cooperate with reality, even though it seemed so unreal. Logic had told him, tonight, that he'd lose one of his agents. That he'd lose a dear friend. Logic had told him Tony was dead before they even got into that building. But Tony wasn't just a normal human being anymore. He wasn't going to die. His wounds were gone. He saw them with his own eyes. Still, his mind hadn't finished processing and accepting that as fact. It was taking everything in his to remind his stomach that those nerves that felt justifiably ready to make him vomit, that there was nothing to be nervous about.

Once the water ran clear, Gibbs cut off the shower, making quick work of drying himself off and changing into some sweatpants and a Navy tee shirt before making his way back into the room. "Any change?" he asked when he saw Tim sitting on the bed next to Tony.

"He hasn't so much as moved a muscle," Tim replied.

"We'll let Ducky look at him when we get back, tomorrow," Gibbs told him. "What matters is that he's alive. More than I was expecting out of the events that took place tonight," he admitted.

"Right," Tim nodded. The younger man's eyes searched around the room in thought. Gibbs watched him for a moment, as he straightened the items in his go-bag and put it over on one side of the room. "Hey, Boss?" Tim finally spoke. "I know this really isn't...your thing," he said, not wanting to sound rude, "But can I talk to you about something?"

Gibbs cocked his head, "You're not gonna tell me you've also got a ring of secret agents to go along with the getup at Camper, are ya?" Tim let out a small laugh and shook his head. "What's on your mind, Tim?" he asked, sinking down into a chair beside Tony's bed, and propping his feet up on the mattress.

"Well, it's...kind of confusing, really," he began. "I know what I saw back there at the warehouse. I know Tony didn't die. But... I dunno. My brain is having a hard time processing both sets of information. It's like two different realities, and even though I know they're one in the same, the circuits aren't exactly giving my processor the permission to accept the conclusion." Gibbs nodded, glad he hadn't been the only one to feel that way right now. "I know it's weird, but...in my head, I've worked out the scenario of what would've happened had Tony not been able to heal himself. I watched the life fade from his eyes, and him passing out? That was his last breath. And maybe because he hasn't woken up yet, I'm having a hard time believing what actually happened, and my brain is trying to override it with the scenario that best fits reality. Do you...did that make sense?" he asked, finally meeting his boss's eyes again.

Gibbs nodded again. "Yeah, it does," he told him. "The only thing stopping me from believing that reality scenario, is bein' in this room with Tony right here; warm body from blood pumping through its veins, and chest rising and falling with each breath. So yeah, I get it, McGee."

Tim took a deep breath as he nodded, happy to not be alone in his feelings. "Wish I could just crash. I'm tired, but I dunno if I could actually fall asleep."

"Well try, McGee," Gibbs raised his brows. "At least one of us has gotta get some sleep so we can drive back to the Yard in the morning. Ziva should be released first thing."

"Okay, Boss," Tim replied, getting up from Tony's bed and going to the other. "If I do fall asleep, wake me when you wanna switch off."

Gibbs gave him a small nod of acknowledgment, and reached for the remote to turn the television on, if for nothing more than to keep it from growing too quiet. On low volume, he ended up on a movie channel which was showing the first Superman movie with Christopher Reeve. He half-smiled at how Tony would find it ironic, if he'd been awake. The soft snicker from the next bed over, told Gibbs that McGee agreed.

Mere minutes after the sound of the television filled the room, Gibbs looked over to see the youngest agent had already managed to drift off to sleep. It gave Gibbs a sense of relief to know that Tim would get some rest. He appraised his senior field agent once more, before looking back to the television...

It seemed like a mere blink of his eyes, that Gibbs was suddenly looking at the 0700 news report, and sunlight was peeking through the ugly orange curtains. The shower was running, and McGee was no longer in bed. Tony was still asleep.

The lead agent pulled his legs from the bed, stifling a groan as the muscles disapproved, and the stiffness slowly dissipated from his entire body from having slept in that position. A few stretches, and he was good to go. Gibbs was used to sleeping on a couch, or really in any position over the years. But age made it difficult to continue to be unaffected by the consequences.

After a few moments of thinking about it, he went to his go-bag and pulled out a pair of jeans and a polo. He made quick work of changing once he heard the shower cut off, and transferred his belt, wallet and keys into his new attire. He wished he had a jacket that wasn't currently balled up and bloody with McGee's in the trunk of the agency car.

McGee emerged from the bathroom fully clothed, carrying a neatly folded pile of the ones he wore the day before. "Morning, Boss," he said quietly.

"Mornin', McGee. Sleep okay?"

"Surprisingly enough," he replied, packing the clothes into his go-bag. Woke up about an hour ago. I was surprised you didn't get up before me. Were you up real late?"

"Not exactly sure on that, but my guess is no. Think I was out a little after you."

"Want me to go get us some coffee?" he offered.

"We'll get some on the way to the hospital," he told him. "Let's see if we can get Tony up."

Tim nodded and went to one side of Tony's bed, unsure of how to go about the process. He leaned over, placing a hand on the agent's shoulder. "Hey, Tony? Time to get up," he said, softly, but louder than they'd been previously conversing. "Tony," he gave him a little shake. Then he backed off a bit as Gibbs sat down on the edge of the bed.

He checked the agent's pulse, then felt his forehead. "Doesn't seem like there's anything wrong," he told Tim, then leaned closer. "DiNozzo!" he shouted. But there wasn't so much as a flinch. He narrowed his eyes.

"Maybe we should take him to be seen, when we go get Ziva?"

"And tell them what, McGee? An evil queen gave him a poisoned apple?"

Tim raised a brow, "Does that mean we've gotta find a prince to kiss him and wake him up?" Gibbs turned his head to look at him with raised, slightly amused brows. "Sorry, Boss..."

Gibbs tried to hide a half-smile by turning back to Tony. "Ducky'll look at him when we get back. I don't think he's in any danger. If that changes, then so will our plan. But it looks like we're carrying him outta here..."

*~.~*

Gibbs had gone into the hospital to get Ziva, while McGee stayed in the car with Tony. They'd decided to prop him up in the back seat so he could be buckled for the long trip home, and used the go-bags stacked up between his body and the door. His head rested along the top of them. Tim appraised the older agent as he sat across from him. He figured he probably wasn't comfortable in that position at all. But he was sleeping like the dead...

Tim immediately shook away the image that popped into his head. Instead, he suddenly had a strange thought and realization. And then came to conclusion that it was, indeed, a very good thing for everyone, especially Tony, that he hadn't had to pee at all during this unconscious state. That wouldn't been embarrassing. Or well...Tim would've been embarrassed if it were himself, anyway. He wondered if he should put a towel under him though...

His thoughts were interrupted when Gibbs and Ziva got into the car. Ziva turned around in her seat as soon as she was in, and looked between McGee and Tony. "Is he alright?" she asked.

"Yeah," Tim replied. "Are you?"

"I am fine, McGee. Embarrassed, but fine."

"You got sidelined by a super villain, and came out without a scratch. There's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"Perhaps not. But I am. And I am sorry I was not able to help."

"Do you know what happened?" he asked.

"Gibbs explained in the elevator," she told him. McGee sighed a breath of relief at not having to tell the story, and gave her a small nod. "Thank you," she told him and Gibbs, "For coming for me. Again."

"We're just glad you're okay," McGee replied.

Gibbs nodded in agreement, then added, "We'll always come for you, Ziva."

Ziva looked to Gibbs with bright eyes, turning back the right way in her seat as she pulled on her seat belt. She gave him a smile.

A couple of hours into the trip back home, Tony picked his head up, and all four limbs reached out to grab onto something as if he were falling. "W-what the h-" he coughed against his parched throat.

"Tony!" Tim reached out to try and calm him. Gibbs had already begun pulling off to the side of the road, grateful they were in an area where that was a possibility. "It's okay! You're okay!" Ziva handed the senior field agent an open bottle of water.

Tony seemed to gather himself enough to take it from her, and he nearly downed the entire thing. "What the hell happened?" he asked, now that his throat wasn't dry. "I- I thought I was dead."

Gibbs turned off the engine and turned to face the agent. "Looks like your ability to heal carried over after you did from the burns," he told him. "You're gonna be okay, far as we can tell."

Tony handed the bottle absentmindedly over to Tim, and pulled his own shirt up, swiping a hand over his torso where the gushing wounds had been. After a few long moments, he accepted what he'd been told, and looked back up, his glance going to each agent before landing on Gibbs again. "How did we get to the car? I don't remember anything..."

"You've been sleeping," Tim replied for him. "It's been about fifteen hours now."

"Wow... So uh...we're on our way home, then?"

Gibbs nodded. "You feel okay?"

"Yeah, Boss. Aside from being a little...shocked, I'm okay." Gibbs nodded, then turned back around, starting the car, and pulled back onto the road. Tony looked to Ziva, then, as she was still turned toward him. "I'm glad you're okay," he told her. "He showed me something...completely different. And I know it was to get me to come after him. I'm just really glad that's all it was."

"What'd he show you?" McGee asked, curiously.

Tony swallowed against the lump in his throat as he recalled the images. "Something I hope I never see again..."

TBC...


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Really hate to post short chapters, but I don't wanna keep y'all hangin'. I'll try and have more up ASAP. Just have a lot going on right now. Thanks for your patience!**

***~.~***

"My theory," Ducky told the agents, after having thoroughly examined Tony to the best of his abilities without equipment, "Is that his body goes into a state of hibernation, so to speak, in order to repair whatever damage there was. In this case, I'd say to replenish the blood loss. Which is really quite remarkable, if I do say so myself. Anthony has the ability to not only regenerate tissue such as epidermis, but also his own blood cells. Not to mention repairing the complex nerves within the spinal cord."

"And bones," Gibbs told him. Ducky raised a brow in question. "Heard it...crack," his expression wavered for just a moment, then set back in place. "I'm guessing the bullet did more than nerve damage."

"It would make sense that he could self-repair bone as well," the doctor concluded.

"So he's okay, otherwise?"

"His vitals are normal. I don't see any adverse effects, aside from how he's mentally processing it. That, however, is something he'll need time to deal with, and help from his friends."

"I'll do whatever I can to help," McGee said.

"I will, as well," Ziva added.

Gibbs nodded, proud of his agents, and joining in what he obviously agreed to as well.

"Let us not forget," Ducky added, "That the two of you," he looked between Gibbs and McGee, "Suffered a trauma as well. As confusing as it is for Anthony, surely it was and is for you both. Talking about it with him might do you both some good, too. Call it debriefing, if you must," he gave them a smirk.

"Thanks, Duck," Gibbs said, and the team started to make their way out.

"Jethro," Ducky called after him, "If I might have a word alone..."

Gibbs turned, tilting his head before he nodded. The rest of them left to head upstairs to where Tony waited. "What is it?" he asked.

"I was curious about this Gideon fellow," he started. "You say he must have the same abilities as Anthony..."

"Not exactly the same," Gibbs told him. "We just know he can heal himself. Not just that, but, I don't think he can stay dead," he narrowed his eyes.

"Yes," Ducky nodded. "Tony told me, during the examination, that Gideon seemed more like a victim than a villain. Created by someone or something that he no longer has the ability to remember. His memories slowly disintegrate, much like a victim of Alzheimer's Disease. Only I don't believe there is a degeneration of the brain, like there is with the disease."

"What do you mean?"

"With Alzheimer's, there's an irreplaceable loss of neurons and loss of intellectual ability, including memory and reasoning, eventually leading to complete incapacitation. Gideon, however, shows no signs of lost intellect."

"So he doesn't have Alzheimer's," Gibbs shook his head.

"I don't think he could get it in the first place," Ducky said. "So the question lingered in my brain for a while, what could cause he memories of youth to start disappearing? A injury would have healed itself, just as well as any disease or other ailment. The only other conclusion I could come to, was insufficient space."

"Come again?"

"There's not enough room, Jethro," he told him. "The human brain has great capacity. But as far as how much memory it can hold, we have insufficient data to know for certain."

"I get what you're sayin', Duck, but I don't understand what it has to do with Gideon."

"What I'm theorizing, is that Gideon's memory is being written over with new memories, because he's used everything else up. My guess is that this self-healing ability isn't just that. I think Gideon might be much older than he appears."

"Looked about fifty or so, when I saw him."

"Yes, well...I'd guess more along the lines of a hundred and fifty," Ducky raised his brows, as did Gibbs. "Of course, the only way I'd be able to determine that, would be to examine him myself. Although, even then, who knows what we would actually be able to see."

"Oh there's another way, Duck," Gibbs told him, turning to leave autopsy.

*~.~*

Abby was dancing as she wiped down the evidence table in the lab, when Gibbs walked in. "Hey, Gibbs!" she smiled. "Congratulations on your successful rescue mission."

"Can I get you to help me with something?" he asked.

"What kinda something? You're not on a case, are you?"

"Not officially."

"Ooo...I'm in. Whatcha need, Bossman?"

"I need you to take this," he handed her McGee's scanning device, "And run this image in the database. See if you can find a match."

"Okay. Then what?"

"Then, you tell me if you find one," he told her, then turned to head out.

"Gibbs, what is this thing?" she asked.

"McGee made it. You can't figure out how it works, let me know and I'll send him down."

TBC...


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Alright so I know there was no warning before now, but this is the last chapter. Not to worry, though! I intend on making this a series. There will be a lot of questions unanswered in this one, that will be answered in future installments. So follow me, if you don't already, and once I get around to getting the next one started, you'll know :) It'll be called Contingency: something. Lol. **

**Many thanks to everyone who read, and especially the ones that took a moment to review. **

*~.~*

"It was hard," Gibbs spoke, finally, after a long period of silence between him and Tony as they'd been eating. He'd made them steak, cowboy style, after having left the office unusually early. Tony looked over at his boss as he took a swig from his bottle of beer. "Thinking you were gonna die, after all you'd already been through and came back from," he finished. Tony leaned back on the couch, sort of in awe at the fact that Gibbs was talking about his feelings. That was a rare thing, indeed, and Tony didn't want to say anything that might stop him from continuing. "I felt...guilty, having left you there alone. And I know you wanted it, but that doesn't change anything."

When Gibbs took a swig from his own beer, Tony took that as him being finished sharing. "You know I'd have been pissed," he told him. Gibbs looked at him with a raised, questioning brow. "If you'd blamed yourself for my death. And don't say you wouldn't have. I know you still feel that way about Kate. Even if you never said as much."

Gibbs raised both brows, tilting his head slightly, before taking another swig from the bottle. "You _know_, huh?"

"I'd like to think I know you enough to know, Boss..." he replied.

Gibbs thought for a moment, then nodded absentmindedly. "You took a lot of that on yourself, too." He watched as something flashed over Tony's face.

Tony thought back on that day...

_Somehow Tony had been led to a bathroom inside the building, while Ducky was on the roof with Kate's body. Gibbs was there, wiping Tony's face with a wet paper towel as gently as possible. Up until that moment, Tony hadn't really been aware of what was going on. It was as if he'd been in some kind of trance. _

_ Now the running water could be heard, and he met Gibbs' eyes, then went to the towel and realized what Gibbs had been cleaning off of his face. He instinctively turned toward the sink as he couldn't hold in the sudden urge to vomit. And afterward, he found it difficult to catch his breath._

_ He felt Gibbs' hand on his back._

_ "Why?" Tony croaked out. "Why her? Why not me?" his eyes squeezed closed as tears escaped and dropped into the sink where he still hovered his head. _

_ "This isn't your fault," Gibbs told him. Tony shook his head. "Kate's...Kate's death isn't your __fault," he said again, more sternly. "Get it through you head, DiNozzo, because I need you on this."_

_ Tony swallowed, forced himself to reign his breathing under control at Gibbs' command, then stood back up and faced him. "Yes, Boss..."_

"And I suppose I was supposed to blame you for your own death?" Gibbs pulled him out of his thoughts.

Tony met his eyes again. "If there was no one else left to blame, I suppose," he replied. "But it was Gideon. For more than the obvious reason of him pulling the trigger. He wanted me dead because...because he thinks I'm gonna end up like him," he told him. "He said I'd do bad things. That I'd forget what being a good person meant, and that there would be nothing to stop me." Gibbs kept quiet, waiting as Tony seemed to be thinking something through in his head. "When he said it, I knew he was wrong. I know myself, and I know I would never do the things he does. But I've been thinking a lot. Gideon doesn't remember his past. He doesn't remember who he was. His life has been an obsession to find answers; to fix himself, no matter the cost. And the more I think about that, the more I realize that he could be right. If I forgot myself, and I...I couldn't _end_ myself, what else could I possibly do?"

"You'll have us, Tony," Gibbs assured him. "And we'll help you. We'll make sure you don't forget."

"But what if you can't help me, Boss? What if I end up like him? Boss...you've gotta promise me... If I start showing any kind of signs that I'm-"

"It's not gonna happen," he interrupted.

"But if I do...you gotta promise you'll lock me down. You've gotta make sure I don't become something I'm not. And if you can't kill me, you've gotten lock me down somewhere and let me die."

"Not gonna let you die, DiNozzo."

"You've gotta. You have to, Gibbs. This isn't just gonna be about me, anymore. I'm not gonna let myself be Gideon. And if you don't do this for me, then you're letting whatever this is that's a part of me now, _kill_ who I am, anyway. Locked up, at least I can't hurt anyone. Promise me. Please..."

*~.~*

Abigail Scuito was starting to doze off at the computer in her office. The search program had been running for hours, through every database she could get access to, after uploading the image from McGee's scanning device into the system.

It was right as her brain was drifting into a deep sleep, that the system started going berserk. She jolted awake, almost falling out of her chair, and boxes were popping up all over the screens. From the corner of her eye she noticed the flashing from the lab computer screen shining from the adjacent wall, and went out to see what it had found.

Even more had popped up on that system. Tons and tons of results she hadn't ever expected to come across. She'd been giving up hope to find anything at all. So seeing this was a huge surprise. But as she started clicking through the different results, her eyes widened.

"Whoa..."

The end...for now.

**A/N: Next installment will likely be called Contingency: Gideon Quest. Unless I decide that's a stupid title. HA! Also, please don't expect this any time soon. I have another story for a different fandom, that will be posted over the next couple of months. If I have the willpower to write it after that, it'd be awesome. But ANCON2013 will be in major planning by then. And I do hope to see some of you there! :D **


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